The Internet in Easy Steps

Computer Step publishes a series of guides for those who wish to avoid the several hundred page blockbuster manuals which we buy but then never read. This one is pitched at beginner's level, it's simply and clearly written, and it has plenty of screen shots and marginal tips.

It has the courage to pose and answer those basic questions raised by anyone new to the Internet. What equipment should you buy? Which is the best browser to use? How do you select an Internet provider to get connected? And how do you then start searching the Web? It even includes such elementary questions as 'how do I recognise a link?'




Geoff Preston covers email, from setting up to the more complex issues of sending attachments, then zipping and unzipping files. He deals briefly with Usenet newsgroups, then Internet Relay Chat. After these basics, there are short introductions to using video and voice email, MP3 and making your own CDs, and then setting up your own web site.

The latter part of the book is devoted to Ecommerce and finance on the Web, plus a tour through sites devoted to health, education, children, news, technology, travel, and leisure. The advice he gives is simple and clear, and there is a minimum of IT jargon.

For the beginner, these books are ideal - because they provide the basics in a reassuring way without too much technical detail. If you want to get on quickly with the business of getting acquainted with the Internet, then this is an excellent guide to what you should be doing.