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Online! The Book



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Book Details

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720 pages
2003 Oct 30
Book length
Publication date

Publisher Prentice Hall (October 30, 2003)
Language English
ISBN-10 0131423630
ISBN-13 978-0131423633
Product Dimensions 1 x 6.9 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight 2.3 pounds
Average customer review
Best-sellers rank #2,744,830 in Books
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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

From the Back Cover

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 inductry, 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

The perfect gift for any computer user!

Are you getting the best of the Internet? No way! The Web's packed with great sites you haven't discovered. Great tools you haven't tried. Great stuff you haven't done.

But that's about to change!

You're looking at an amazing collection of today's coolest Web stuff. Hundreds of incredible ideas, tips, techniques, and sites...all compiled by three legendary Web and PC insiders. Here's just a taste of what you'll learn...

  • Trash that spam: no more junk email
  • Download faster and smarter
  • Protect yourself against today's toughest viruses and hackers
  • Build your own next-generation Web site, fast
  • Blog the world...even distribute your personal content to hundreds of sites
  • Deliver your own streaming media broadcasts
  • Cut the wires and go mobile
  • Connect to your office PC over the Web
  • Find the Web community you've been searching for
  • Make the most of peer-to-peer networks
  • Use your online connection to make cheap, high-quality phone calls

Includes complete, up-to-the-minute primer for beginners!


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Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
5 star
12
4 star
1
3 star
1
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0
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See all 17 customer reviews
If only they had not strewn the book with error, verbiage and irrelevancy.
A Williams
This book was truely worth the money and something I'll keep handy for years as a referance as I use the internet!
Michael Jaskot
Whether you're a newbie or an old hand, there's something for everyone in Online!
Gail Cooke

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful By Bill Meyers on November 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
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.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful By Meryl K. Evans on November 4, 2003
Format: Paperback
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.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful By Gail Cooke HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE on November 8, 2003
Format: Paperback
Now everyone's doing it. Doing what? Signing on to the internet. Each day countless millions venture into cyberspace to chat, search, buy, sell, and the numbers continue to mount. However, there are times when even the most accomplished online user needs a little help, and that's what this practical volume is all about. Whether you're a newbie or an old hand, there's something for everyone in Online! The Book.

Twenty-eight informative chapters cover all aspects of internet use beginning with "The Online World," a description of the net and concluding with "Voice Over Internet Protocol," readers may glean all manner of valuable tips.

Concerned about hackers and their tools? Get the lowdown here. Confused about the ISPs (Internet Service Providers)? A handy explanation. Chat rooms - good, bad or so-so? Read all about them. Want to buy at the lowest price and sell at the highest? Advice is offered.

Think of Online! The Book as your guide through the mysteries of computing, and keep it handy.

- Gail Cooke
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful By A Customer on November 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
This is a new book at the bookstore...and I stood in there for almost twenty minutes looking at it, trying to decide if I could afford to buy ANOTHER computer book. There is just too much in the book! Every time I flipped to another page there was something that caught my eye. This isn't like all the ohter books on the shelves...that you almost fall asleep as you turn the pages and it beats the suhbject to death. This is one that I want to read. I decided to buy it, and spent most of the night reading it. It's great.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful By C. Jones on January 19, 2004
Format: Paperback
This book covers everything you need to know about the internet and how to navigate it. For those that were curious how to make the most out of their experience with the world of being online, I would definitely suggest this book... whether someone new, or a seasoned veteran. It covers numerous topics on email, spam, webpages, viruses, streaming media... the list goes on and on. Definitely a 'must have' book. :)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE on December 22, 2003
Format: Paperback
Online! The Book was hard for me to read, and didn't reward my efforts very well. I have never found a book that contained so many details that I was not interested in, did not help me or did not add to my knowledge. I don't really care to know the complete history of every development on the Internet. Further, many chapters repeated the same points (such as on Spam).

The book is pitched as being helpful for everyone from those who have never logged on before to those who are techies and want to know more. While that may be true, the book's structure makes no attempt to separate beginner information from advanced. So beginners will probably get the idea that they need to know everything here. In addition, in the areas where I am very interested in learning more . . . there wasn't enough detail for me. I suspect most people will prefer more specialized books in their areas of interest.

The main benefit I got from the book was some new Web sites to check out on subjects that interest me. But that wasn't enough benefit to make it worth reading the whole book. I could probably have picked up similar information by surfing the Web or reading more focused books in much less time.

Here are the chapter subjects: The Online World; Hardware Basics; Internet Service Providers; Finding What You Need; Music; E-Commerce; Meeting People; Gaming; Downloading Online Content; Email and Spam; Security; Viruses; Get Your Web Site; Web Programming Languages; Blogs; Streaming Media; How Modems Work; Networking; Portable Devices; Internet Commuting; Webcams; Content Management; Business Web Sites; Enterprise Instant Messaging; Peer-to-Peer Communications; Internet Law; and Voice Over Internet Protocol.

While the authors seem knowledgeable (and their credentials suggest that they should be), they needed to have some professional readers to help them shape the content to readers' needs. For example, in all of the discussion about hardware I saw nothing about how a newbie might call Dell and have a custom machine designed and built to fit their needs. Also, there's nothing here for a newbie who enters a library and wants to use an Internet computer. Both experiences are probably pretty widespread, but are ignored here.

If you are new to computers and the Internet, find someone who is kind and patient to teach you the basics. Start out by telling that person what you want to do, and they can get you going in much less time than it takes to read this book.

As I finished the book, I found myself thinking about how important it is to get feedback from readers as authors write their books. Otherwise, the books are mainly relevant to the authors.
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