Online! The Book (Paperback)

~ John C. Dvorak (Author), Chris Pirillo (Author), Wendy Taylor (Author) "Today's online world has changed dramatically in the last decade..." (more)
Key Phrases: work extenders, remote control products, email publication, United States, Windows Media, Internet Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Online! The Book
"If you go online, see how much more you can gain, without the pain. Fascinating, fun, and delightfully written. The invaluable tool for everyone that makes you laugh out loud to read."
-Scott Cook, Founder and Chairman of Intuit Software

"There is only one Dvorak. He invented the idea that technology was as worth covering as news, he wrote the first gossip column on the industry, and even has answered tech questions on call-in shows. He's the Orson Wells to Bill Gates's Kane."
-William R. Hearst III, Publisher and Venture Capitalist

"For 20 years or more, no one else has given us the same no-nonsense, in-your-face advice John C. Dvorak has. His expertise and influence among makers and consumers of software and hardware are legendary, as is the dry sardonic humor he brings to everything he writes about. If you want to know why you should go online and what to do once you get there, you can trust Dvorak's advice like you would trust your mother's-if Mom were intimately knowledgeable about computing, and if she could make you laugh while pointing out computing's foibles."
-Ron White, author How Computers Work, 10th Anniversary Edition

"Chris Pirillo is one of those original geeks, dating back to when he first brought common sense to the Help Desk. From there he's built bridges between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, landing somewhere in a conceptual San Luis Obispo-the grey area between content and technology."
-Marc Canter, Founder Macromedia

"This is the most practical and valuable book about the Internet you can get. A perfect reference for anyone who goes online."
-Victoria Recano, "Inside Edition"

"Everything you ever wanted to know about the Internet and really ought to ask. I love this book!"
-Lance Ulanoff, Executive Editor PCMAG.COM

"Pirillo is truly the Internet guru of our times. Hundreds of thousands of his 'Gnomie' followers can't be wrong. Online! is a Rosetta Stone, bringing the priceless, yet nearly costless, millennial treasure of the Internet to the masses. Online! is the first truly practical book about the Internet, exploring the depth of its power, without the typical techno-jargon. Online! will leave you asking how you ever got along without it."
-Brett Trout author of Internet Laws Affecting Your Company and Chair of the Iowa State Bar Association Technology Committee

"For hundreds of thousands of computer users, Chris Pirillo is the face of the Internet. Combining a sharp wit and the technical knowledge that comes with living computers and the Internet 24/7, Chris simplifies complex technical issues, helps computer users make informed decisions in the crowded software marketplace, and manages to entertain while still delivering the facts. By embracing technology as a way of life, this techno-geek has become the net's most trusted voice."
-Ken White, CEO, NextUp.com

"Chris Pirillo is at the center of the digital universe."
-Robert Scoble, Technical Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation

Product Description

More people than ever before are using the Internet, and are using it more often for more purposes. Yet there has not been a new general-interest book on the Internet for a long time. John Dvorak, one of the most well-known authors on computers, and Chris Pirillo, one of TechTV's most popular hosts, have written a book which will appeal to all internet users, no matter what their level of expertise. Online! covers everything an Internet user needs to know, from hardware to security, from mobile access to spam filters, from blogging to setting up your own Web site. No matter how long you have been online, you will find this book to be an indispensable companion.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (October 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131423630
• ISBN-13: 978-0131423633
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,450,089 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Internet Manual, November 4, 2003

By	Meryl K. Evans "Content Maven behind meryl.net" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Internet doesn't come with a manual, but if it did, this is it. This sounds like an exaggeration, but it is not because the book literally covers almost everything for people at all levels computer literacy.

That sounds like a tall order, doesn't it? I agree, yet Dvorak, Pirillo, and Taylor have pulled it off. The book has almost 700 pages of rock solid content in 28 chapters covering hardware, music, meeting people, gaming, networking, email, and more.

Though I read as much as I can about technology since getting my first computer in 1980, the book has material that cover areas I know less about such as enterprise instant messaging and peer-to-peer communication.

The topics are tackled at the 30-foot level and the 30,000-foot level. For example, we know emails are those messages that fill up our mailboxes with some in the ugly disguise of spam. The email chapter has contents on its history, protocols, clients, spam (of course), header analysis, filtering, and etiquette.

Protocols, header analysis, and filtering are uncomfortable terms for some people. Techie words and concepts are clearly explained without leaving the reader scratching his head and re-reading the paragraph until his eyes cross. Most of the technical terms and tips are in a gray box, so if you don't want to deal with it you skip over the visual cue. Tips are also in little boxes with a photo of Pirillo running into a window (again) or Dvorak in his Hulk Hogan wanna-be garb.

Business folk benefit from chapters on commuting, Internet marketing, content management, business Web sites, Internet law, and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). The Ten-Step Commute chapter takes a trip into the world of teleworking with advice on how to sell it to the boss, setting up remote access, and security.

This is not the heavy, boring textbook students lug around campus. The authors throw in their senses of humor throughout the manual. You could find the stuff in the book (where else?) online, but it takes many searches and hours to find the gold nuggets. Take a break and let the book do its job.

Believe it or not, I didn't notice the sub-title of the book when I wrote the first paragraph. When I got the book, I went right inside the cover. Online! The Book lives up to its sub-title, "Because the Internet does not come with a manual."

P.S. I take book reviews seriously. Some of you may know I write for Chris Pirillo's Lockergnome.com. If I didn't like the book, you wouldn't be reading this. No, he didn't pay me to say this. In fact, he doesn't know I've read the book and wrote a review.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The missing manual for the internet, November 10, 2003

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

As an average computer user with some moderate knowledge of computers, software and the internet, I was curious about "Online-The Book." Would I benefit from reading it? John Dvorak is one of my favorite writers on computing subjects and I've been reading his columns for years. But how can anyone write a book about everything online? The authors, Dvorak and co-author Chris Pirillo (who has the infamous Lockergnome computer guru site) have really done an admirable job covering the subject.

This book isn't just about surfing the net. It starts with your computer, the basic components of hardware and software, to networks, the history of online systems from BBS's to university intranets to todays' internet. There is a fascinating, if horrifying section about spam email and how the spammers work. (Hint, if you have a homepage, remove your email address or alter it like "my-name-at-whatever-dot-com.") Dvorak et. al. also cover ebusiness, and most importantly, internet security and issues of identity theft and spoofing to gain passwords. Firewalls are discussed, as are internet hoaxes and scams. SSL or "secure socket layers", the technology that keeps your credit card and banking information secure when ordering online is also described.

The book is really aimed at the widest swath of basic users who have some or even a fair amount of knowledge. If you go online, this is a very excellent reference that EXPLAINS how things work in reasonably simple terms, but without dumbing down the information. I found a lot of useful facts here. I'd recommended as a shelf reference for most computers users, and it could even be a good textbook for a community college course for people learning about using computers on the internet.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Work-station Classic, November 5, 2003

By	Bill Meyers (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Dvorak & Co.'s book should be shipped with each new computer sold because it really IS the manual for the Internet. Gateway would be well-advised to contract for the 2nd edition. Meanwhile, get it now. The good stuff on the 'net it directs to, and the traps and sheer junk on the 'net it helps one avoid, makes it pay for itself almost instantly.