Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy-to-use and bonehead simple route to home networking!, May 24, 2002
I always relied on the young, smart people in the office to deal with the networking challenges. I've read Dave Strom's columns for years now and when this book was available, ordered it the first week. I just went through the book's step-by-step guidelines for installing network cards, creating shared folders, sharing printers, etc. and when I finished, it all worked!
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book that Doesn't Treat You Like a "Dummy" or an "Idiot", October 22, 2001
Lots of books explain how to network your home. David Strom's "Home Networking Survival Guide" is better. Here's why: Strom doesn't look down on you like you are a "dummy" or an "idiot." Unlike some other books, the tone in which Strom writes is never condescending, never preachy. It's just you and Dave, sittin' on the patio in the back yard, sippin' lemonade, watchin' the clouds float by, and having a good ol' talk about sharing PCs and Macs, files, printers, and that all important Internet connection. Dave puts his arm around your shoulder, says "come with me," and he shows you the way. He won't make you feel stupid. You've become his partner, not his lab experiment.
The chapters are concept-based: home wiring (or wireless) choices, sharing files, sharing printers, sharing an Internet connection, using e-mail, intrusion security, and protecting your family--from their own actions. Dave walks you through choosing and installing a solution, but he doesn't just dictate a list of steps to follow. He takes the time to explain why. Too many books just say 'do this' without educating the reader. What good is that? In summary, this book is like that blue blanket you had as a kid. It makes you feel secure and empowers you to conquer, well, home networking in this case. Next time your cable company or phone carrier says you can't have several computers on your cable or DSL connection, you'll know better. -Joel Shore, Reference Guide Inc.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much more than a Survival Guide, October 11, 2001
Two weeks ago I ordered a DSL/Cable router to network our current two PCs at home, knowing I absolutely had to find some way of sharing the DSL connection to the internet. Last week, I successfully installed the router and started to enjoy the benefits of sharing the fast internet connection. But the network cables were simply strung from the router to the laptop computer temporarily set up in the next room. My challenge this week: to complete the network and enable each computer to see/use files on the other PC and/or to share the laser printer. Unfortunately, the installation guide for the router was useless. And the Dummy/Idiot guides seemed only slightly better.Unlike some other reviewers, I don't know David Strom, but I feel he must know me, or at least he knows what it feels like to be well (over?) educated but very confused by the challenge of wiring together and configuring each PC to complete a basic home network. Strom's approach was perfect: my first scan of the book lead me to three specific sections I needed to read to understand the basics and some of the pitfalls I was likely to encounter. I bought the book, finished intalling the network cable, then used Strom's book to troubleshoot problems on each computer. Strom's Survival Guide fully covers several different methods for "wiring" (phoneline, ethernet cables, wireless, mixed PC/Mac environments); configuration/troubleshooting for various flavors of Windows + Mac OS; recommendations on the best equipment to use to share a DSL/cable modem connection to the internet; troubleshooting tips to fix 22+ Windows Network Problems; and more. There were answers to all my questions and helpful tips at every step along the way. Along the way it felt like I was in touch with a very understanding and very thorough help desk (unlike the "hurt" desk I am forced to rely on at the office).
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