Using the Internet : Special Edition (Using. Ser. )

Both an introduction to the Internet for beginners, and a complete reference for Internet users. Explains how to get connected to the Internet, browse the web with Internet Explorer 4.0 and Netscape Navigator 4.0, communicate with mail and newsgroups, and create a web site. This all-new edition covers fewer software packages, because of the market thinning, and has omitted server and technical information that the average user doesn't need. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Rather than providing a quick update to his second edition of Using the Internet, Honeycutt has responded to the rapid changes online with a total rewrite and the addition of new material. He has deleted a lot of how-to information on software and functions that are no longer popular or relevant to the daily life of most users. Instead he emphasizes many elements of the Internet that the average user, especially a beginner, is most likely to use. Honeycutt combines that with coverage of emerging Internet capabilities, which explains why his book has grown from about 300 pages to almost 700.

As in previous editions, Using the Internet starts out with a short history of the Net and how it works, although the old section on "netiquette" no longer follows and is sorely missed. Honeycutt then explains how to connect to the Net using the major online services or an independent Internet service provider (ISP). He focuses on Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator as he discusses browsing the Web, using e-mail, participating in mailing lists and newsgroups, downloading files, using real-time chat, and more. But he doesn't overlook the popular and useful add-on and client programs that make online life easier.

Honeycutt helps you apply what you've learned by showing you how to perform Web searches, participate in multiplayer games, use push technology to your advantage, and easily put your own home page on the World Wide Web. The search section is particularly informative and should be helpful to Net novices. The book concludes with two no-nonsense (and opinionated) chapters on Net security for yourself and for your children. Appendices include lists of ISPs.

The book includes information on how to use what Honeycutt calls the more "obscure" capabilities, such as FTP, Gopher, and WAIS. While most users will never need these utilities, it's good that Honeycutt recognizes that they can be lifesavers if you depend on the Net for research. Even in its expanded form, this is not a comprehensive guide to the Net--the section on Web-page creation gives you only a taste of what is possible--but it remains a good way for beginners to get their feet wet without feeling overloaded with information. --Elizabeth Lewis