home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Media Share 9
/
MEDIASHARE_09.ISO
/
private
/
mpc93mar.zip
/
WINGUIDE.DAT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-02-14
|
3KB
|
54 lines
Microsoft Windows 3.1 Visual QuickStart Guide
Book review by David Jensen, Madison PC User's Group
If it's possible to write a good introductory guide, this book is an
example of how to do it. I haven't been much of a fan of small
introductory guides to advanced or complex software. They generally
leave a reader poorer in time and money with little to show for it.
New users usually should spend that time playing around with the
product, rather than reading a book designed to benefit from new user
anxiety. That is why I like this book. The book is enmeshed with
"Walkabout" training software, the heart of the product. While a user
is not actually playing around with the product, the program that
presents Windows to the new user looks like Windows and, aside from
the lack of General Protection Faults, acts like Windows.
Walkabout is simple to install, does not use Windows and covers the
basics of using Windows. Walkabout carries the user through five
modules of training: Introduction to Windows, The Program Manager,
Customizing Windows, The File Manager, and Advanced Windows. Each of
these modules takes the user through a series of lessons, examples
and optional quizzes about the area under consideration.
The book covers much of the same information in the order of the
Walkabout, but goes into differing depths, depending upon whether the
information is likely to be used for reference or is better presented
in computer-based training (CBT). The book and disk are not just
duplicates of each other.
Within the book, there are hundreds of screen shots as examples of
what is being discussed next to it. With only 180 pages, that doesn't
leave a lot of room for text, but as they managed to make clear in the
book, people don't want to read a book about using a piece of software,
they want to solve a problem that they have run into while using the
product. With all of the examples, clear discussion, an appendix of
the Windows dialog boxes and a tolerable index, this book provides an
excellent CBT introduction to Windows and a good reference for new
users as they become familiar with Windows.
This book is part of a series from Peachpit Press. I have also seen
the books for Microsoft Works for Windows (with CBT) and CorelDRAW
(no disk). Both appear to be decent introductory references with a
similar approach to the book, but I believe that much of the value is
lost by not having CBT in the CorelDRAW book (of course it is much
cheaper). Look for this series.
"Microsoft Windows 3.1 Visual QuickStart Guide," with disk, by
Webster & Associates, lists for $24.95 and is published by:
Peachpit Press
2414 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710