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WIN_BOOK.RVW
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1994-02-03
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THE LEAST YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WINDOWS 3.1. By Steve Eckols. Mike
Murach & Associates, 1993.
A Book Review
by Michael Ball
In 6 hours you can learn everything you need to get along in
Windows -- all without any computer. Unlike the "...for
Dummies," series of books this tutorial book on Windows 3.1
leads you procedurally through virtually every screen you're
ever likely to see.
Those with more than a few days experience with Windows may
wonder why such a book exists. On the other hand, the
technophobes and "techno-feebs" out there understand too well.
For newcomers, having this book beside the computer will get
them over many little humps on the way to this allegedly
intuitive interface.
Windows and Macs have gotten so similar that regular users
forget how unintuitive both are. Once you have been programmed
by the interface, things swim right along. Unless you try to
teach a novice, you may not recall how odd the menu structure
and clicking/dragging rules are.
The book covers the key concepts of computing in a few pages,
then goes through one screen capture after another. Each one
explains the concepts, then gives exact procedures for the task
at hand -- sizing an applications window, adding a program item,
setting up a printer.
The book works in part because it has a good index. The topics
are well chosen for the uninitiated to find the key references.
A bad index would have killed this book.
After you are comfortable with Windows, have added drivers,
switched printers and perhaps setup new program groups, you can
toss this book (or donate it to the BCS). For those with no
experience, it could be well worth the $12 and shipping. For
the Windows literate it is of little value.
A flyer that came with it, noted its other use. You can buy the
screen shots in PowerPoint format for $50, and a complete
instructor's set with these shots and lessons for $250. If you
are in corporate training, the work has already been done for
you with this product.
"The least..." delivers what it promises to its intended
audience. For that, the only real problems its has are 1) a
fairly lame table of contents that won't mean anything to the
newcomer, 2) keyboard short cuts in words rather than the boxed
symbols with the letter or key cap word on them, and 3) no
glossary. The publisher could have broadened this appeal a bit
with a chapter on the applications interface (API), on how to
track down and delete files from the WIN.INI and so forth, but
again, the book's title says it all. It provides what it says.
"The least you need to know about Windows 3.1" is from Mike
Murach & Associates, Fresno, CA. Its list price is $20. BCS
group members can buy it direct for $12 plus UPS shipping. To
order, call 800-221-5528, mention BCS Zi/Tel and cite the sales
code UGLIWN. It has 224 pages, plus a table of contents, an
index and a five-page list of keyboard shortcuts. Eckols is a
professional trainer and author of 10 books on mainframes.
-30-