Customer Reviews

Home Networking Bible

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book really helped me set up my in-home business network. My wife and I work in separate rooms; we wanted to share files and especially the laser printer. Home Networking Bible made it so easy. It told me what to buy, how to set it up, and what to do to make the Windows computers see each other. Highly recommend this book!

Even in the years of the dot com crash, PC usage and upgrading has continued unabated, driven by a still relentless Moore's Law. One huge area of this usage has been the home, and Plumley devotes her book to aiding you. Unlike an office environment, you have no IT staff to delegate the gruntwork to. Just you. And her.

So she carefully goes over enough technical detail to be intelligible and useful to you. Covering the latest Microsoft operating systems, with accompanying details on the Macintosh and linux. As an aside, the fact that she chose to include linux in a book like this speaks eloquently to its rise in a mass consumer market; no longer confined to server side applications.

On your network, she gives extensive information about having a wired or wireless setup. The pros and cons of both. Like a wired net being more secure against evesdropping, and usually having higher bandwidth. But being much more labour intensive to install, and often greater capital costs, compared to having just some WiFi hub. Certainly though, WiFi has been and is one of the bright spots in hi-tech right now, and Plumley walks you through its acronym-filled thicket.

She also does not ignore various other devices that can live on your net. Like a PDA or Xbox. Here is a chance for you to test for yourself some of the fabled convergence of computing and entertainment, about which so much has been postulated and invested by others.

This book looked pretty good, but I wanted to point out another book, "Networking by Example" by Barry Press which is truly outstanding. This Bible book, as I remember it, contained a lot of information that was specific to Windows 98 and NT as well as protocols and OS's not around anymore. Also, in general the "bible" books tend to be cluttered with more information you don't really need. The home networking bible was helpful, but Networking by Example was much more succinct.

The bad news is that I bought this book to solve a specific problem. 600 pages of text and appendices later, my problem remains unsolved. Nevertheless, this is a good presentation of the basics of home networks. I use a Windows XP Home OS. There was a lot of information specific to my OS. There were also custom comments for those on Windows XP Pro, Windows 98, Mac's etc. The reader level is self-proclaimed as "Beginning to Advanced". It would be more accurate to say "Beginner to Intermediate." If you want to learn the basic concepts of home networking and some "walk me through the commands of setting things up," this is a good reference. It is not an "everything one needs for troubleshooting problems" reference, though.

I consider myself the average home computer user, so I can read technical material when there is need, but don't do this for living. I can understand 90% of help instructions, but won't get to the level of fixing Windows registry entries.

I wanted to build my home network, so I was expecting something to complement what I could find on Windows menus. I am also learning Linux and wanted to network all my home computers together. The book review said it was beginner to intermediate level, and it covered Linux as well, so it looked like the perfect fit.

I was able to get this book used, like new, for $5, so there was virtually nothing to lose. However, it was an 'almost' complete waste of time. This book just walks you through Windows menus, with some touch on Mac, and 'see your distro manuals' in Linux. I would say it is good for someone who is completely new to computers, but then I wouldn't want to create a network myself if I were that new. Besides, there is nothing in this book that you can't get either through the Internet, or regular help menus.

The only reason I am giving it 1 star is that it covers some network cabling principles, and some TCP/IP basics. Both areas are timeless, i.e.; would take some time to be as outdated as the rest of the book.

One good learning for me; good books will never sell at $5.

Everything you ever needed to know about networking. A must have book in hte field of networking. Highely reccomend.

I was expecting more due to the title. This book tells you what to consider for your network but does little to prepare you for the technical issues you're going to encounter. Its an OK book; but certainly shouldn't be called a "Home Networking Bible" as it really doesn't cover very much in detail...its a wide book but also a shallow one.

Only addresses Windows 95-98 and NT in any depth. Unix,Linux and Samba are completely overlooked.