14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The big disappointment, April 5, 2007
This review is from: How Personal & Internet Security Works (Paperback)
I purchased this book online without getting a chance to look inside (the option was not available for this title...I believe I know why). In many cases buying a book by its title works out, but in this case it did not. Had I realized that this "award winning author of more than 30 books" also wrote a book called "Complete Idiot's Guide to Internet Privacy and Security", I certainly would have passed on the purchase.
For a book of 280 pages, it contains very very little real content. Each chapter begins with a one page description of the topic (probably the most useful part of the book), followed by a series of two page spreads on each subtopic. Each two page spread is completely covered by a computer generated graphic, and 4 - 8 small paragraphs, enough to fill up at most 1/2 of one of the two pages. The graphics usually attempt to depict the subtopic, but most of the time there are a few items in the graphic that relate to the topic, but the graphics alone add no value to the topics, and often are a distraction from the few small paragraphs on the two pages. Had the graphics been absent, and the text condensed into normally spaced pages, no content or meaning would have been lost, and this would have amounted to about a 70 page book full of commonly known buzzwords and surface information many already know.
As an example of how Gralla treats each subtopic, consider this analogy. If I were to read a book on how an automobile engines work, I would expect it to say something about the carburator, spark plugs, timing, camshaft, crankshaft, pistons, etc. The "Gralla" equivalent of this description would be something like "The gas goes in the engine, the spark plugs fire, and the wheels go round". For some, maybe that is enough. But for me, a book called "How <something> Works" should tell you how it works!
So, if all you need is the "gas, sparkplug, wheels" version of how things work in the internet security world, and you have $20 or so dollars to throw at it, then this is the book for you. However, if you would like to dig a little deeper, save your $20.00 and look for a more technical book on the subject, as I am off to do. What a big disappointment, and a waste of $20.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
TOTAL GARBAGE !, March 8, 2011
This review is from: How Personal & Internet Security Works (Paperback)
Most of the books in this series of How it Works are GARBAGE!!! Save your money! I have 3 listed on ebay right now and I am trying to sell them all for 9.99 They are How wireless, networks and the internet Works!! Anyone want em look me up!! The one reviewer on this page is totally on the money with the review, it is exactly what I was going to say. PURE TRASH!! I'm amazed that supposedely millions of this garbage was sold. For a really great book on how comouters work and to learn history while your at it try The Chip from T.R. Reid. That guy is intelligent, he does his homework, takes years to write his books and interviews alot of relevant people. That book is a classic. This book here HOW IT WORKS IS a P.O.S!
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