Book Bytes
MyMac Magazine #32
The Great Browser War

“THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR BROWSER BOOK WARS: EIGHT AND COUNTING!”
By John Nemerovski
Just when you thought the Web browser wars were leveling off, here come eight new titles on the topic of Netscape Communicator 4, with multiple offerings from each publisher. You should see my desk. It’s groaning under the weight of all these books competing for my attention. Oh, no! The wooden desk legs are buckling from the burden.
Departing from my normal chatty format, I will attempt to identify the features of each book which make it worth considering (or rejecting) in comparison to its competitors. Fair enough? Here goes.

Discover Netscape Communicator by Grace Joely Beatty, David C. Gardner, and David A. Sauer IDG Books Worldwide ISBN 0-7645-3068-2, 392 pages $19.99 U.S., $26.99 Canada, £18.99 U.K.
UNIQUE FEATURES: A sturdy tear-out Discovery Central card, with excellent visual shortcuts. The 42-page Discovery Center, following the final chapter, on pale blue paper. It provides systematic chapter-by-chapter tasks and techniques for every action and command within the suite of applications. Appropriate page numbers are indicated. In addition, a nine-page Visual Index displays every basic Navigator screen, with captions, lines, and arrows leading the the corresponding on-screen button or window.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate, at nearly one per page.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Used in moderation.
WRITING STYLE: Lively and informative.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: I like it.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Very good.

Netscape Navigator 4 and Communicator Bible, by Jennifer Fulton IDG Books Worldwide ISBN 0-7645-3107-7, 654 pages includes Windows 95 CD-ROM disk $39.99 U.S., $54.99 Canada, £36.99 U.K.
UNIQUE FEATURE: A lengthy explanation of “The Extras in the Professional Edition” of Communicator.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Outstanding.
WRITING STYLE: Extremely thorough, and easy to read.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: A valuable learning and reference work.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Overpriced, unless you need the Win95 disk.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Netscape Communicator 4 by Joe Kraynak Que ISBN 0-7897-1029-3 $19.99 U.S., $28.95 Canada, £18.49 U.K.; 310 pages
UNIQUE FEATURES: The Knowledge Base dedicated Web site for technical support assistance. Judd Winick cartoons at the beginning of every section.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Abundant, and very helpful.
WRITING STYLE: Breezy and conversational.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: Cute, and smart.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Good.

Using Netscape Communicator 4 by Peter Kent Que ISBN 0-7897-0982-1, 376 pages $19.99 U.S., $35.95 Canada, £22.99 U.K.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Adequate.
WRITING STYLE: Lively and informative.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: This is a useful book.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Good.

Netscape Communicator 4 (6-in-1) by Ed Guilford and Joe Kraynak Que ISBN 0-7897-1065-X, 528 pages $29.99 U.S., $41.95 Canada, £27.49 U.K.
UNIQUE FEATURE: A HTML Reference Section listing supported tags and attributes.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Abundant, and comprehensive.
WRITING STYLE: Very straightforward, making excellent use of numbered, structured lessons covering every imaginable aspect of Communicator.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: This is a practical and helpful book.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Good.

Special Edition Using Netscape Communicator 4 by Mark Brown Que ISBN 0-7897-0980-5, 778 pages $29.99 U.S., $42.95 Canada, £27.49 U.K.
UNIQUE FEATURES: Very instructional and thorough series of chapters on creating Web pages. In general, an exhaustive and patient approach to the entire suite of applications.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Abundant, and comprehensive.
WRITING STYLE: Lucid and direct.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: This heavyweight tome aims to provide full-service, and it delivers the goods. As with many of the books, the examples here are primarily taken from Windows screen shots, but most of the information is viable cross-platform.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Good.

Teach Yourself Netscape Communicator 4 in 24 Hours by Galen Grimes Sams.net ISBN 1-57521-227-7, 394 pages $19.99 U.S., $28.95 Canada, £17.95 U.K.
UNIQUE FEATURE: Step-by-step “hourly” 24-lesson format, complete with quizzes.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate, often with several on a page.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Abundant.
WRITING STYLE: This book is written from a friendly, helpful first person point-of-view.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: Comfortable, informative, and approachable.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Very good.

The Big Guide to Netscape Communicator 4 by Brad Harris and Bill Vernon Sams.net ISBN 1-57521-301-X, 848 pages $29.99 U.S., $42.95 Canada, £26.95 U.K.
UNIQUE FEATURES: Over 170 yellow pages of “Web Hot Spots” from the Infoseek search engine. Extensive Web page creation chapters. Specific “Tips, Tricks, and Timesavers” on each component of Communicator.
GRAPHICS AND SCREENSHOTS: Plentiful and appropriate, often with several on a page.
SPECIAL ICONS, FORMATTING, AND SIDEBARS: Abundant.
WRITING STYLE: Personal, easygoing, and informative.
OVERALL LOOK AND FEEL: This is a learning and reference book which is both impressive and effective.
VALUE FOR MONEY: Excellent.
Whew! So there we have it. The choice is yours, and whichever book you purchase, read it and use it! Let me know how you agree or disagree with my evaluations, or if you find a superior book. “FOUR INTERNET DIRECTORIES: UPDATING OUR RECENT REVIEWS”
In the August and October issues of My Mac, I reviewed Most Popular Web Sites from Lycos Press, see review at https://www.mymac.com/reviews/book_bytes/bytes_m.htm, and then the World Wide Web Yellow Pages, from New Riders’ Publishing, see https://www.mymac.com/reviews/book_bytes/bytes_n.htm. Both these titles have recently been updated. In addition, Lycos published the Internet International Directory earlier in 1997, and it deserves comparison to the other directories.

Most Popular Web Sites: The Best of the Net from A2Z (Second Edition) Lycos Press, http://www.lycos.com ISBN 0-7897-1348-9, 1073 pages, includes CD-ROM $39.99 U.S., $55.95 Canada, £37.49 UK
I liked the book first time around, and I still do with the second edition. Lycos is an excellent Internet resource, and this book expands the reach of http://www.lycos.com in a dedicated CD, Web site, and print format. The impressive style and structure of the first edition have been retained. I personally use the “25 Most Popular Sites” and “Editor’s Choice” features on a regular basis. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

New Riders’ Official World Wide Web Yellow Pages (Sixth Edition) New Riders’ Publishing, http://www.newriders.com ISBN 1-56205-785-5, 993 pages, includes CD-ROM $29.99 U.S., $42.95 Canada, £28.49 UK
… and …
New Riders’ Official Internet Yellow Pages (Sixth Edition) New Riders’ Publishing, http://www.newriders.com ISBN 1-56205-784-7, 1150 pages, includes CD-ROM $29.99 U.S., $42.95 Canada, £28.49 UK
These books are identical, almost. The informative 61-page Internet primer is the same in each volume, as is every chapter heading: from Advertising, Agriculture, Animals, to Sports, Television, Travel, and Women’s Issues. The second book includes as bonus an instructive 43-page Introduction, entitled “Becoming An Internet and World Wide Web Surfer.”
In fact, the Official Internet Yellow Pages is, upon careful scrutiny, definitely the superior book of the two. It has everything that the World Wide Web Yellow Pages has, and more. I plan to use the Internet Yellow Pages on a regular basis. This book is splendid value-for-money. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Internet International Directory 1997 by Mitzi Waltz and Steve Schultz Lycos Press, http://www.lycos.com ISBN 1-56276-416-0, 605 pages, includes CD-ROM $39.99 U.S., $56.95 Canada, £37.50 UK
The word “International” defines the specific approach of the Internet International Directory 1997. Regular users of the Internet and World Wide Web consider the Net to be an international phenomenon, but most Net directories concentrate on the United States. Using an attractive and informative design, this book features plentiful screen shots and Editor’s Choice sites from around the world. Each listing ends with a category, in bold, such as: “Region: Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, U. S., Eastern Europe” or “Region: Africa, World.”
The international aspect of the Internet is expanding tremendously on a daily basis, and we need more books of this magnitude. RECOMMENDED.

“Oh, no, three more Web browser books? Oh, yes!”
Macworld Discover Internet Explorer 3 by Scott Knaster and Shannon King-Rouse IDG Books, http://www.idgbooks.com ISBN 0-7645-4031-9; 308 pages, includes licensed Microsoft Internet Explorer PPC 3.0 CD $24.99 U.S., $34.99 Canada, £23.99 UK
Web Discovery Guide: The World’s Easiest Guide to the Internet by Adam Engst Osborne Books, http://www.osborne.com ISBN 0-07-882336-6; 491 pages, includes licensed WorldNet/Explorer CD $24.99 U.S., $34.99 Canada
Netscape Navigator Starter Kit for Macintosh by Mark Brown and John Christopher Hayden Books, http://www.mcp.com/hayden ISBN 1-56830-320-3, 518 pages, includes licensed Netscape Navigator 3.0 CD $34.99 U.S., $49.95 Canada, £32.95 UK
Can we set aside our objectivity for a little while? I admit to no impartiality with regard to these three fine books. I have read each one cover to cover at least twice, and refer to them for specific advice and troubleshooting every week.
The first one, Macworld Discover Internet Explorer 3, was written by two Macintosh veterans who were personally involved in the creation of Explorer 3 for the Mac. We are getting our source material straight from the source itself. As with all the Discover Series books from IDG, valuable features of the book include the Discovery Center blue pages, which contain chapter-by-chapter and page-by-page shortcuts to every command and operation of the software, plus a Visual Index of the basic Explorer screen options. The CD has, in addition to the browser software, a hearty collection of shareware and authors’ favorite bookmarks.
Have you used Internet Explorer yet? I’m currently running 3.01a (68K), and it is a smooth and crash-free experience. I don’t know about you, but I personally prefer a tangible book to assist me when learning how to use a powerful piece of software. Scott and Shannon’s book serves my needs very nicely.
All the criteria for a first-rate Mac app manual are here: good writing, plenty of helpful screen shots and graphics, plus excellent tips, sidebars, summaries, and recommended URLs. Hey, who’s that guy trying to rip the book (and browser) away from me? Forget it, buster. I’ll be using Explorer 3 for a little while longer, with Macworld Discover Internet Explorer 3 as my constant companion.
The next book, Web Discovery Guide: The World’s Easiest Guide to the Internet, is formally an authorized as “The Official AT&T WorldNet Service” handbook, but it has value to the general Web-browser community. I spent several months using WorldNet as my ISP, and I was consistently pleased with it. Adam Engst based the book on WorldNet, since it’s the “official” AT&T WorldNet volume, yet he writes with a broad audience in mind.
When necessary, specific directions for each computer platform (Mac and Windows) are given, beginning with itemized installation instructions. The book then jumps straight into customizing and navigating with the browser, which is a WorldNet-dedicated version of Explorer 3. Even though WorldNet itself is a firewall-protected site, once the user is logged in the Internet is still the same Net utilized by everyone else who is online.
Consequently, for solid advice on search engines and directories, newsgroups, email, bookmarks, multimedia, plus a ton of recommended Web sites, this Web Discovery Guide keeps the reader right on course. Adam Engst is one of the premier Internet and Macintosh authors, and he has created a guide which serves both the WorldNet and general Internet community with clarity, substance, and style. Keep up the great work, Adam.
The final book, Netscape Navigator Starter Kit for Macintosh, is the best single source of practical information on version 3 of Netscape. I predict that many satisfied users of Netscape 3 will try Netscape Communicator 4, and then return to old faithful version 3. Navigator 3 is far from perfect, but it does achieve the nearly impossible feat of performing as browser, mail, FTP, and news client software, rain or shine.
This book is loaded with helpful screen shots, charts, tips, and no-nonsense instructions. When I was first learning how to use Navigator, this book was essentially bonded to my hands and eyeballs. Now that I’m comfortable with the software, I turn to the book to refresh my memory, or help with an unfamiliar feature.
Subjects such as creating a personal Web page, browser plug-ins, and Netscape’s helper applications are covered in depth. The authors have chapters on Web security, and on forms, in addition to the customary details on browsing and searching the Web. If you use Netscape Navigator 3, look no further than the Netscape Navigator Starter Kit for Macintosh, friends.

Regardless of which browser you prefer, do yourself a favor and get a high-quality instruction book. That’s my last word on the subject. Bye for now.