Customer Reviews

Special Edition Using Microsoft Word 2002

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have bought previous books by this author and have always found them helpful and the first place to look for a solution, especially for a new function.

Until now.

First and important, Mr. Camarda instructions are simple, easy to follow and "by the book." Except that my computer does not always go by the book and there are no suggestions or thoughts on what to do when something doesn't match.

But the big problem is what was left out. And a great deal was. If you want to learn about "smart tags" a brand new feature and perhaps a reason why many updated from a previous version of Office, you will not find it and many other new functions, here. Instead, Mr. Camarda refers you to a web site where you can down load, through Acrobat, (you would thing he'd use "WORD) another few hundred pages that were left out of the book. It takes a long time to print this material out too.

The items in Acrobat are not included in the Book's index so good luck finding quickly what you need. For several new items you will have to look in several places to get the right information, negating the need for this book. Many book publishers are putting the contents of their books on CD's so you can use a search function to find what you want. No so here. Que also has eliminated the CD with extras they used to provide, having us go to the internet for additional materials.

If they couldn't print the entire book, the least they could have done was included on a CD, complete with search functions.

I used to buy Que books sight unseen, knowing they were among the best. That time has passed.

As with other reference books I've found, the answers are there, if everything works the way it is supposed to. However, when it doesn't work the way it should, you're on your own.

Also, there is barely any information on working with graphics except for clip art. Most business or technical users do not use clip art, they use imported graphics.

I agree with the other 2 reviewers except I think they were generous in their ratings. This book has some good information but on the whole it's disappointing.

The most glaring flaw, and there are many, is that there are no tutorials as the back cover claims. Dry instructions are not tutorials. The examples that you download from a web site are not coordinated at all with the corresponding chapters. The book doesn't even reference the examples files as if they were an afterthought after the book was printed. Consequently, you have to open the files to see what's in them and try to figure out how they relate with the book material.

Basic topics are covered pretty well but other topics that required clear and detailed explanation are virtually ignored. For example, section breaks are barely mentioned in the book and the explanation is very thin. There is nothing in the book about forms, hyperlinking to other Microsoft documents or bookmarks, and even inserting an Excel spreadsheet in your document. These are astounding omissions! However, forms, hyperlinks, and integrating other applications are included in a 300-page PDF file (advertised as Bonus chapters) without a table of contents or index or other navigational aides that make it easy to find the information you need.