Almost everyone, even my Great Aunt Rose, has heard about the Internet by now. But the term "BBS" hasn't yet been added to the Internet buzz. Richard Scott Mark wants to change that situation with his "guided tour" to Internet bulletin board systems (BBSs).
Mark contends that BBSs are the Internet's "only real interactive communities." His guide tells you how to connect to and use these cyber villages. Included are discussions of the past, present, and future of the BBS; definitions of the terminology you'll need (e.g. telnet, sysop, real-time chat), and suggestions for BBS starting points.
Defining a BBS as "a class of online service", Mark notes that most BBSs include such services as e-mail, public and private bulletin boards, multiplayer games, and libraries of shareware and public domain files. Once he has you intrigued enough to check out a BBS, he cleverly sends you into his Internet BBS travelogue. This section is particularly commendable. You get an amazing spectrum of BBS listings from around the world. Each listing includes a graphic, description, and technical information that you'll need.
The book also includes an Internet BBS Start Kit floppy, which features Netterm and a Web-based guided tour of Internet BBSs.
If you subscribe to America Online, and want to represent yourself on the Web, Creating Your Own America Online Web Pages will teach you how to develop a home page quickly and easily. Do you need to be a programmer or know HTML? Absolutely not. The book gives you simple software tools in its companion CD-ROM, and the authors carefully guide you through every step required to design, spice up, and publicize your AOL Web page.
Don't overlook the appendices. You get a thorough list of AOL's Web resources, an essential checklist to use before your put your page online, and other bonuses.
Do note, however, the book's title: the material definitely is AOL-specific. If you're looking for a good general guide to creating Web pages for all service providers and browsers, check out some of the other books previously reviewed in the Netsurfer Digest.
Whether you're a C or Perl programmer, CGI How-To can give you the answer to your Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripting questions. You do need to be familiar with either C or Perl, but prior knowledge of CGI scripting is not needed.
The authors begin by defining the raison d'etre for CGI scripts. They explain that CGI "defines the communication link between a Web server and a Web application." A CGI script, therefore, is a program that a Web server runs when it receives a request for a Web browser.
The book provides you with many examples, and the authors take care to offer explanations as well as code. Much of the book is written in an easy-to-follow format that begins with a problem commonly faced by CGI programmers, followed by a summary of the technique to use, the steps required, and the reasoning behind those steps.
The CD-ROM included with the book contains all the examples in the book, a variety of utilities, and information on how to use CGI with Java.
If you're seeking a highly technical book on Netscape designed for expert users, look elsewhere. But if you're still in the novice category, then Using Netscape 3 should meet your needs. The author's goal is to teach you the fastest and easiest way to accomplish basic tasks, with the steps offered in English (as opposed to techspeak).
You'll learn everything you need to know to be up, running, and on your way to expert status with Netscape 3 by the time you finish this book. From setting up Netscape Navigator to writing your own home page to using CoolTalk, Kent gives you the foundation that you need to feel comfortable navigating the Web. Examples are abundant, and he provides a generous amount of shortcuts and tips as well.
It should be noted that this book is highly Netscape-specific. If you select this book as your guide, be sure that you don't try to follow the directions using the wrong browser.
Want to join the rest of the online business community? Launching a Business on the Web takes you through the tasks needed to get your company represented successfully on the Internet. From selecting a service provider to security issues to raking in the bucks, all the details are carefully and clearly presented in this thorough and big (more than 600 pages) book.
Do be forewarned: as this book explains, the online representation of various commercial interests has exploded in a remarkably short period. In 1995, the authors report, a search of Web pizza pages revealed a total of 225. When they searched again prior to the publication of this book, their search uncovered 8,691 online pizza palaces. So what does it take to join these pioneers?
The authors focus not just on getting you up and running, but on maintaining your online business presence. You'll learn how to choose a name, advertise, research demographics, and cope with security breaches. Perhaps one of the most important issues is achieving a unique presence on the Net, and the authors explain how to encourage users to visit - and return - to your site. And what they refer to as "nontraditional" enterprises (meaning artists, writers, government organizations, and civic, social, and nonprofit groups) also get a helping hand, in a chapter devoted to such topics as keeping costs down, increasing membership, and getting more publicity.