Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers General Computing Editor, David Wall FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * Just off the Presses: Getting noticed on the Web, checking under your PC's hood, contact management secrets * What's Hot? General Computing bestsellers at press time * Recommended Reading: "How the Internet Works" * Almost Published: Books that are selling before they've even been printed * Featured Reviews: "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" JUST OFF THE PRESSES ******************** "Poor Richard's Internet Marketing and Promotions" by Peter Kent and Tara Calishain http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966103270/entertainmentsit A small business trying to draw attention to its site on the Web is like a shipwreck victim trying to flag down a helicopter while bobbing in 40-foot chop. It doesn't have to be that way. In "Poor Richard's Internet Marketing and Promotions," Peter Kent and Tara Calishain explain how you can deploy the fluorescent dye pouch of low-budget advertising to attract attention to your pages. Their advice isn't complicated--it mostly amounts to identifying your audience, providing them with what they want, and taking good care of the customers you have--but reading their advice is inspirational. "Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs" by Stephen J. Bigelow http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0072122234/entertainmentsit Once you've built an IBM-standard PC from scratch, you're pretty familiar with the basic parts and what's involved in adjusting and replacing them. In the latest edition of "Troubleshooting, Maintaining & Repairing PCs," Stephen J. Bigelow does his best--and that's an effort to be reckoned with--to explain what you can do when a machine won't run and (if you're lucky) flashes some cryptic error code. He describes hundreds of failure conditions related to all parts of the personal computer and offers good suggestions (and clearly stated ones, at that) for dealing with them. In addition, he's loaded this book with hardware reference information to help you sort things out yourself. "ACT! 2000 for Windows for Dummies" by Jeffrey J. Mayer http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764505610/entertainmentsit Longtime king of the contact-management hill, Symantec ACT! exhibits great prowess at tracking your interactions with your customers. Not only can you store the name of the guy who supplies your plant with Ramenfator valves but also his relationships with other employees of his company, notes about what you discussed the last time you called, and a reminder about when to bug him for a discount. "ACT! 2000 for Windows for Dummies" shows you how to do all these things with ACT! It introduces you to the fundamentals of contact management and provides reference information that will come in handy as you attempt to customize ACT! and use its more complicated features. Plus, there's some advice on using the information in your ACT! contact list to generate new sales. WHAT'S HOT? *********** At the top of this month's General Computing bestseller list are a Web site how-to manual, an InDesign tutorial, and a handy telecommunications guide. "Dreamweaver 2.0 Hands-On Training" by Lynda Weinman http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201354527/entertainmentsit Dreamweaver is hot. It seems like every article on Web design focuses on this wildly popular authoring application. So "Dreamweaver 2.0 HOT: Hands-On Training" is an apt title for Web design guru Lynda Weinman's latest how-to manual, a cross-platform tutorial that teaches in a concise and straightforward manner. "Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book" by Adobe Press http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201658933/entertainmentsit "Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book" has all the benefits of both a manual and a tutorial. Since it was written by the Adobe staff, its voice lacks the personal "avoid-the-mistakes- I've-made" tone of an individual. Instead, what comes through is the confident authority common to an application's creators. "The Essential Guide to Telecommunications" by Annabel Z. Dodd http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130142956/entertainmentsit The telecommunications industry encompasses hundreds of different technologies, which in turn have spawned many trade names, jargon terms, and legal definitions. Those looking for a comprehensive introduction to the technologies, laws, and marketing programs that govern telecommunications need to read "The Essential Guide to Telecommunications." Explore our top 50 computer titles, updated weekly: The Computer Top 50 RECOMMENDED READING: "HOW THE INTERNET WORKS, MILLENNIUM EDITION" ***************************************************************** "How the Internet Works, Millennium Edition" by Preston Gralla http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789721325/entertainmentsit The Internet does many wondrous things, but an alarming number of them remain "black boxes" whose interior workings are a mystery. In "How the Internet Works," Preston Gralla shows how information gets from here to there on the world's biggest computer network. With assistance from illustrators Sarah Ishidi, Mina Reimer, and Stephen Adams, Gralla presents a series of full-color spreads, each of which picks apart some aspect of Internet technology. ALMOST PUBLISHED **************** General Computing guides that have garnered the most pre-orders from Amazon.com customers--before they've even been published. "How to Do Everything with Your iMac by Todd Stauffer Publication date: January 2000 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0072124164/entertainmentsit In Todd Stauffer's first edition of "How to Do Everything with Your iMac," he devoted a significant amount of text to using AppleWorks software. He explained how to format letters, perform calculations with spreadsheets, create graphs, and draw pictures with this productivity suite. The release of the new iMac and the new Mac operating system, OS 9, prompted Stauffer's second edition, which includes new coverage of QuickTime, Sherlock II, new networking functions, speech technologies, MP3 tips, and a host of other topics. "Computing" by Henry Beard and Roy McKie Publication date: November 1999 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761117741/entertainmentsit If you find yourself frustrated by new technology, confused about "surfing the Web," or just plain cranky at your computer, you'll appreciate the latest release from Henry Beard and Roy McKie, "Computing." Beard and McKie tackle it all--from hardware and programs to technical terms, hip computer lingo, and instructions--in this wickedly humorous dictionary. FEATURED REVIEWS **************** "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" by Charles Petzold http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/073560505X/entertainmentsit Charles Petzold's latest book, "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software," crosses over from his usual programming genre into general-interest nonfiction. It's a carefully written, carefully researched gem that will appeal to anyone who wants to understand computer technology at its essence. Readers learn about number systems (decimal, octal, binary, and all that) through Petzold's patient (and frequently entertaining) prose and then discover the logical systems that are used to process them. ****** Looking for power tools? From screwdrivers to scroll saws, our brand-new Home Improvement Store offers the planet's best selection of tools and more. Home Improvement ****** You'll find more great books, articles, excerpts, and interviews in Amazon.com's Computers & Internet section at Computers & Internet ******
Search:
Keywords: