Monday, February 24, 2003		Book Review

Rough Guide for smooth trip through Net
Review by Kuljit Bains
The Rough Guide to the Internet
by Angus J. Kennedy. Rough Guides, distributed by Penguin. Pages 541. $ 11.95 (USA).

ROUGH Guides has been bringing out sure-success travel guides to thousands of destinations, exotic as well as cosmopolitan. The Net is no less exotic than the jungles of Burma (Myanmar, if you like) or entertaining than Las Vegas, and that’s what their series on new media is exploring. The book in hand enters all bylanes of the Net and can lead a novice by the finger without stepping into a pothole.

The pocket-sized book begins at the beginning, answering questions like Why should I go on the Net? Can I shop? Would it be safe? It even answers embarrassing questions like, What’s the difference between e-mail and Hotmail?

It is presumed that you are dumb as far as anything silicon goes, or even language—if you passed your class X English exam without cheating, you’ll follow all that’s there, even sound a bit geeky at the end of it.

You are informed of the minimum level of a computer you’ll need to get online. The "connecting" devices like modems and their options are explained along with data transfer rates. You learn that data transfer speed is measured in bits per second; 1 Kbps = 1000 bps and 1Mbps = 1000Kbps; also that it can take 10 bits to make a character of text. Enlightened? Don’t feel uneasy, most well-read people out there don’t know it.

Which "connection" should I buy? That’s a common question I am asked, having spilled tea over keyboards for a while now. But my answers still usually begin with "umm…" and end in "well!" Having read this book I can give specific points to look for in an ISP (Internet Service Provider, you relic!). Local call access, start-up cost, should need no ISP-specific software to connect, fixed fee or unlimited access, free phone support or phone bill separate, e-mail support, free Web space, and, oh, the most important, what speed. See, I know what to look for.

Next the book tells us just how to actually get connected, having decided on the ISP. The details given make it fairly easy. However, in India, I would suggest ask the seller to send a guy over to set it up for you (manpower is cheap here, especially techies).

Now comes the real part, surfing. From entering Website addresses to making the most of your time on the Net, you get it all. Bookmarking you favourite site, opening several windows at a time, going back and forth expertly…in short, you can make each phone call metered count. Practical advice like don’t panic if your PC hangs up, it’s not your fault, it’s Bill Gates’, will give you confidence.

E-mail, what most over-35ers use the Net for (youngsters don’t need help in any case), is taken up very smoothly by the Rough Guide. All pros and cons (mind you, there are cons always) of various options like Web-mail, POP3, IMAP4 and mail forwarding are explained and setting it up is made as easy as a pill to swallow. Even the smart Alec can learn a thing or two about tweaking mail client settings. Viruses today like to hitch hike more on e-mail than floppies. The book has plenty of suggestions on vaccinating yourself against them.

It’s a small but fat book and you may be a busy man with cricket score to catch up on, so if it’s just one chapter that you have time for, then go for "Find it," as the writer himself suggests at the outset. You may learn all by hit and trial, but finding just what you want and finding it fast can be an art. Learn it.

The chapter on shopping may not be very relevant in India. Discussions and chat are handled too, but again, those interested in chat don’t really need help, they can give it. There are handy tips on downloading free and use stuff from the Net. Music downloading and online gaming also may not be very practical in for us given the pathetic (relatively) connection speeds.

While you may find things on your own, a chapter on most popular sites under various heads can be very useful. After all, they have been decided upon by experts, and might save you time.