The Internet: The Missing Manual [Paperback]

J. D. Biersdorfer (Author), David Pogue (Author)

Book Description

Series: Missing Manual | Publication Date: July 28, 2006

The Internet is almost synonymous with change--that's one of its charms, and one of its headaches. You may think you know the Internet, but are you really up to speed on internet telephones, movie and TV downloading, blogging, gaming, online banking, dating, and photosharing?

This utterly current book covers:

Getting Online. Readers will have all the information they need to decide what kind of broadband connection works best for them, which browser they should use, and what kind of spyware-fighting and virus-and spam-protection measures they need to protect themselves.

Finding Information. Google may be the leading search site, but it's certainly not the only game in town. This book introduces a diverse and useful collection of sites that help uncover everything from health care information, to shopping, travel and finance, to dependable reviews and ratings.

Movies, music, and photos. The Web's teeming with entertainment--and not just the sort of postage-stamp sized videos that only a geek could love. Learn where to download movies, watch TV online, listen to music, play games, and post and share photos with friends.

Keeping in touch. Email's only the beginning. This book introduces readers to the many tools that make the modern Internet such a great way to stay connected. From Web-based discussion groups to instant messaging programs, and from blogs and podcasts to Internet-based phone calls, this book will help you join the conversation.

Ideal for anyone just venturing into cyberspace, this book is also perfect for more experienced users who could use an update to today's most exciting internet applications.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Guides to the internet are becoming as common as website pages in a search result list, but with O'Reilly behind this particular title, IWR decided to take a closer look. O'Reilly is at the forefront of technology publishing and has a knack of explaining things clearly. Could this book live up to its title? The consumer focus gives the book a bright and breezy style, both in its writing and its design. Lots of box-out texts have been incorporated to provide clear definitions of technology, all of which help add to the usability of the title. Even the index is theme-based rather than following a set pattern. Although this isn't a book for the information professional to read and inwardly digest, it does come up with some great metaphors to help explain how the internet and the technology behind works and accompanies them with some excellent definitions. Those facets alone make The Missing Manual a useful resource title for teaching information usage." - Mark Chillingworth, Information World Review, January2007

About the Author

Jude Biersdorfer has been writing the weekly Q&A column for the Circuits section of The New York Times since 1998, and she occasionally writes feature stories and how-to articles for the same section. She has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times Book Review and the AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, among other publications, and has contributed essays on the collision of pop culture and technology for the books The Education of the E-Designer (2001) and Sex Appeal (2000), both published by Allworth Press. She is the author of iPod Shuffle Fan Book and iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, 3rd edition.

David Pogue, Yale '85, is the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. With nearly 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how-to authors, having written or co-written seven books in the "for Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music), along with several computer-humor books and a technothriller, "Hard Drive" (a New York Times "notable book of the year").

Pogue is also the creator and primary author of the Missing Manual series, complete, funny computer books. Titles in the series include Mac OS X, Windows, iPod, Microsoft Office, iPhoto, Dreamweaver, iMovie, and many others. His Web page is www.davidpogue.com, and his email address is [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059652742X
• ISBN-13: 978-0596527426
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In this day and age, too basic to be helpful, August 2, 2006

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Internet: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

This book reminds me a lot of those "Internet Yellow Pages" books you used to see from 1994 until about 1996 when modern search engines and the growing sophistication of computer users made them unnecessary.

I thought I would peruse this book and see if it had anything of value to offer, and I have to say that unless you've been stranded on a desert island for the last twelve years, I can't see how it could be of much help. These days, pretty much all age groups from preschoolers to senior citizens have this much knowledge of the internet. In 2006 do we really need a book that tells us the different ways to connect to the internet, how to shop online, how to gamble online, and the perils of banking online? I don't think so.

I gave this book three stars mainly out of residual respect for the Missing Manual Series that is very helpful for learning the MAC and its various applications as well as software packages such as Photoshop Elements. Nothing in the manual is incorrect. It is well written and well illustrated. It is just too basic to be helpful for anyone who knows how to access an Internet search engine.

The table of contents is as follows:
Part I: GETTING ONLINE
1. Getting Online
Broadband Connections (Fast); Dial-Up Connections (Slow); Wireless Connections (Awesome); Software; Advanced Connection Tricks (Windows); Advanced Connection Tricks (Mac OS X);
2. Surfing the Web
Your First Web Page; Portals: Dashboards of the Web; Browser Choices;

Part II: FINDING INFORMATION
3. How to Search the Web
Search Basics; Directories at Your Service;
4. Searching by Information Type
White Pages, Yellow Pages; Driving Directions; Health and Medicine; Job Hunting; Getting the Facts; Word Definitions;
5. News and Blogs
News Sites; Online Newspapers; Sports, Weather, and Entertainment; Blogs; Feeds: Having the News Come to You;
6. Reviews and Ratings
Movies; Restaurants; Music; Books; Consumer Electronics; Cars;

Part III: SHOPPING, TRAVEL, AND FINANCE
7. Shopping
How to Shop Online; The Top Shopping Sites; Finding Good Deals; Shopping for Big-Ticket Items ;
8. Planning Trips
Booking Tickets and Reservations; Last-Minute Deals;
9. Finance
Online Banking; Finding Loans Online; Trading Online and Tracking Investments; Doing Your Taxes Online;

Part IV: ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA
10. Games and Gambling
Games for the Whole Family; Action Games; Massive Multiplayer Games; Virtual Worlds; Fantasy Sports; Gambling;
11. Music and Audio
Digital Audio and the Internet; Listening to Digital Audio; Online Music Stores; Streaming Music Sites; Internet Radio; Podcasts;
12. Videos, Movies, and TV
Videos and Movies Online; DVDs by Mail; Watching Webcams;
13. Photos
Finding Photos; Sharing Photos Online; Sending Photos to a Printing Service; Sending Photos via Email;

Part V: COMMUNICATING WITH OTHERS
14. Email
Email Program vs. Web-Based Email; Setting Up Your Email Program; Writing and Sending Messages; Reading and Organizing Email; Fighting Email Pests
15. Instant Messages and Chat
Instant Messaging: An Introduction; IM Services: The Catalog;
16. Discussion Groups
Finding and Searching Groups; Creating New Groups;
17. Social Networking
Socializing and Dating Services; Professional Networking;
18. Skype & VoIP: Internet Phones;
Skype: Computer-to-Phone Plans; Phone-to-Phone Plans;

Part VI: INTERNET POWER AND PROTECTION
19. Your Own Blogs, Web Sites, and Podcasts
Blogs; Super-Simple Web Pages; Professional Web Sites; Podcasts;
20. Living on the Web
Online Backup and Storage; Online Word Processing Programs; Project Planning and Group Calendars; Online Meetings/Web Conferencing ;
21. Staying Safe
Know Your Enemies; Fighting Internet Pests; Defeating Spyware; Controlling Cookies; Phishing Lures; Sealing Your Computer's Firewall; Protecting Your Kids;

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Well Done O'Reilly Book, August 28, 2006

By 

Todd Hawley (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Internet: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

Back in the 90s, the Whole Internet was the book to read to learn about the Internet. Sadly, that book has gone out of print. But this book (the latest in the Missing Manual series) essentially picks up where that book left off. And while this may indeed be a book more suited to beginning (yes Virginia, there still are folk who aren't on the Internet) and intermediate users, there's still enough information here that even long time Internet users like myself can learn something new. In my case, it was learning about podcasts, RSS feeds, more about VOIP, and online backup and storage sites. The Internet has gotten so big and spawned so many different technologies over the past fifteen years alone, that it can be a big challenge to keep up with the constant changes. All of them are documented in this book. It gives a general look at all things not just with the topics I mention here, but also topics like searching and surfing the web, blogs, web sites that list peer reviews (sorta like this review!), shopping online, games, music, videos, communicating with others online (whether it's chat rooms, mailing lists, or "community sites"), even ways of staying safe and secure online.

There are countless books available about the Internet and its many forms, but this is a great book to have if you need a well-written all purpose book about the 'Net.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I FOUND IT!, November 5, 2006

By 

Donna I. Shaw (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Internet: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

The Internet: The Missing Manual. This is the best reference for the internet that I have ever purchased. It is a handy refresher for those who need just a little bit of help and an excellent guide for those who need more in depth materials for reference/help. The reference is written so that anyone can find the help that they need, AND still understand what they are reading. After searching for a reference of this type, I am happy to say that I have found it!!