Still the best book on the Internet. The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog, 2nd Edition is a comprehensive introduction to the international network of computer systems called the Internet, a resource of almost unimaginable wealth.
As a complete introduction to the Internet, this book covers the basic utilities you use to access the network: mail, telnet, ftp, and news readers. But it also does much more. The Guide pays close attention to several important information servers (Archie, Wais, Gopher) that are, essentially, databases of databases: they help you find what you want among the millions of files and thousands of archives available. There's also coverage of the World Wide Web. We've also included our own database of databases: a resource index that covers a broad selection of several hundred important resources, ranging from the King James Bible to archives for USENET news.
So if you use the Internet for work or for pleasure -- or if you'd like to, but don't know how -- you need this book. If you've been around the Net for a few years, you'll still be able to discover resources you didn't know existed. Also includes a pull-out quick-reference card.
Now more comprehensive than ever, here's what you will find in the second edition:
- An expanded, easy-to-use resource catalog. New and experienced users alike can refer to the catalog to discover what's available on the Net.
- Descriptions of three resources that serve as the Internet's "card catalog": InterNIC, GNN, and Almanac (what they are, what they're for).
- An explanation of multimedia mail (MIME): what it means, how to deal with it.
- An introduction to pine, a popular mail program that supports MIME.
- More on ftp-mail servers, and different kinds of mailing list managers, including Majordomo and Almanac.
- An introduction to xarchie, a popular X-based Archie client with an FTP client built-in, along with other improvements to the Archie service.
- What's new in the "white pages," or the Internet's telephone book. In particular, the book covers Netfind.
- An introduction to tin, another popular newsreader.
- New features of Gopher, including Veronica and Jughead.
- New coverage of the swais line-oriented WAIS client.
- An expanded list of internet access providers.
Krol has a degree in computer science from the University of Illinois. He is assistant director for Network Information Services, Computing and Communications Service Office, University of Illinois.
