Robison, 'Review of The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking'
URL: ftp://ftp.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/pacsr/pr-v4n01-robison

 
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David F. W. Robison.  Review of The Internet Companion: A
Beginner's Guide to Global Networking, by Tracy LaQuey (with
Jeanne C. Ryer).  In The Public-Access Computer Systems Review 4,
no. 1 (1993): 24-28.  To retrieve this file, send the following
e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU:
GET ROBISON PRV4N1 F=MAIL.
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LaQuey and Ryer and have put together a guide to networking that
almost reads like a novel.  The text, written in nontechnical
language, is organized to create and sustain interest in
networking on the part of the user.  Included are simple,
somewhat comical diagrams that clarify concepts and systems while
making a neophyte feel comfortable with terms like "Serial Line
Internet Protocol."  Helping to convey the authors' own
excitement over networking are numerous sidebars with text taken
from various sources that provide anecdotal evidence of the
richness and power of the virtual culture.
     The book begins with a foreword written by Vice President Al
Gore, the leading government proponent of the development of the
National Research and Education Network (NREN) and, when he was
in the Senate, the author of two pieces of legislation designed
to establish the NREN.  Gore's foreword helps establish for the
reader the crucial importance of networking, both now and even
more so in the future.
     In the preface, LaQuey argues that "If you want to stay
current in the nineties, and even into the next century, you need
to learn about the Internet.  Futurists predict that information
and access to it will be the basis for personal, business, and
political advancement in the next century."  Having declared the
importance of the network, LaQuey explains what the book covers
and how to use the examples in the book; that is, how the
typography lets the user know what they are supposed to type and
what the machine will answer back.
     The book is divided into six chapters: "Why You Should Know
About the Internet," "Internet: The Lowdown," "Communicating with
People," "Finding Information," "Internet In-the-Know Guide," and
"Getting Connected."  There are, in addition to these chapters, a
bibliography, an appendix of resources, and an index.
 
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     The first chapter begins by putting the Internet in its
historical context, comparing it to other innovations of
communication, and giving a brief history of the Net itself.
Right away, though, there is a sidebar that demonstrates how the
Net played a crucial and exciting role in the dissemination of
information during the attempted coup in the final days of the
Soviet Union in August of 1991.  It is this kind of illustration
of the role the network can play in important events that
captures the reader's attention.  This is especially important if
LaQuey's purpose is to motivate new or potential network users to
jump into the fray, as I think it is.
     Beyond the events of global importance and newsworthiness,
LaQuey also describes in broad brush strokes the network
community of today and traces the plans for the development of
the NREN, including the role it will play in K-12 education and
the commercialization of the network.  At the end of the first
chapter, LaQuey recognizes that she has only whetted the reader's
appetite and writes:
 
          At this point, you're probably less concerned about the
     future of the Internet than you are about your own immediate
     future on the Internet.  So stay with us as we explain a bit
     about how it works and some concepts you need to know before
     we take you to this electronic world.  Onward to Chapter 2,
     for the "lowdown" on the Internet.
 
Once again working to put the new user at ease, LaQuey states at
the beginning of Chapter 2 that the most important principle of
the Internet is that "You don't have to fully understand how the
Internet works to use it."  This point is important.  It helps
users get over their initial fear that they don't know enough,
and that they will break something in their ignorance.  While it
is possible to break something, most activities on the Internet
are set up to be protected from both intentionally and
unintentionally destructive behavior.  LaQuey does not believe,
however, that users should be blissful in their ignorance, for as
with most things, "the more you know, the more doors are open to
you."
 
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     Chapter 2 covers the basics of how the network is
"organized," how the various subnets are able to communicate
through a common set of protocols and sending data in packets,
the three primary applications available on the Internet (e-mail,
remote login, and file transfer), how addressing works, gateways
to other networks (e.g., CompuServe and BITNET), and the NSFNET
Acceptable Use Policy.  In one section, LaQuey deciphers a bit of
technojargon that many of us take for granted: "dot speak."
Where others might read an IP address as "128 period 32 period. .
. ." computer types say, "128 dot 32 dot. . . . ."  This is a
minor point, but to the neophyte trying to establish a connection
it can be quite confusing.
     In the next chapter, readers learn about communicating with
other people on the network, perhaps the most important part of
networking.  Starting with simple e-mail, LaQuey explains the
difference between asynchronous communication and real-time
"talking," how e-mail is and is not like fax, the construction of
a user's address, and how to read a message (what's the header
and what's the body).  Included here is a list of gateway
suffixes to enable Internet users to send mail to non-Internet
sites.  From person-to-person mail we move on to e-mail
conferencing.  LaQuey tells readers how lists and USENET News
work, the types of lists one can subscribe to, and how to find
out about the lists and groups available.  In addition to
asynchronous communication, readers also learn about "talk" and
the Internet Chat Relay system.  Appropriately, the last six
pages of this chapter are devoted to "Netiquette, Ethics, and
Digital Tricks of the Trade."  LaQuey educates readers on how
they can be more effective communicators in the network
environment (neatness counts!).  She also covers signatures and
how to avoid high emotions on the Net, where misunderstandings
are common.  Interestingly, in a section on common acronyms,
perhaps in deference to the "settling" of the Internet, LaQuey
translates RTFM as "read the friendly manual."
     From personal communication, LaQuey shifts to one of the
more difficult areas of internetworking: resource discovery, or
finding information.  While describing the Internet and its
resources as a virtual library, LaQuey admits that "this
electronic library is not as well organized as a real library."
In this section, LaQuey combines description of resources and the
methods for access.  Picking exemplary sites, users are walked
through using Telnet and anonymous FTP to find resources.
Readers learn about campus-wide information systems, archives,
file types, client/server architecture, Gopher, WAIS, World-Wide
Web, and archie.
 
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     Chapter 5 is the "Internet In-the-Know Guide" which offers
examples of Internet legends, including one which made me laugh
out loud, and a description of some of the interactive
multiplayer games that are played on the Net.  There is a list of
basic UNIX commands, although I'm not sure what knowing the
command for invoking vi (the visual editor) will do for anyone
without further instruction.  There is a section devoted to
security and privacy which includes advice on passwords, a
warning that e-mail is not secure, and information on
organizations involved in network policy issues (although only
the Internet Society and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are
listed in this section, others are listed in the Appendix).
There is also further information on locating e-mail addresses
through servers and special commands as well as sources of more
detailed and technical information on the network and its
resources.
     The final chapter is devoted to helping users get a
connection.  As the network grows more popular and more "lay
people" become interested in joining the community, access to the
network becomes a crucial issue, and the number of opportunities
grows.  LaQuey does an excellent job explaining the different
types of connections that are available, what ranges of
functionality are available through these connections, and the
costs involved.  Diagrams help the reader to understand the
difference between the various connections.  The information in
this section is directed to both personal and business users and
includes options that may be available to specific user groups.
The author seems to have covered all bases on this topic, which
is a subject that really needs it.
     The appendix that follows the wide-ranging bibliography
includes source information (e-mail addresses, "snail-mail"
addresses, telephone numbers, and archive sites), further
reading, and software.  There is also a list of Internet service
providers organized by area code as well as an alphabetical list.
Unfortunately, the alphabetical list with detailed contact
information is a bit difficult to read.
 
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     In the end, it is amazing that the authors have been able to
cram so much into such a small book.  They do this by not getting
bogged down in details and by covering topics concisely.  This
format is ideal for new users since it is unlikely to intimidate.
Almost in spite of this, the reader is provided with crucial
pieces of information so that they can begin to explore the
network on their own; or rather, with this companion.
 
 
Further Information on the Reviewed Book
 
LaQuey, Tracy (with Jeanne C. Ryer).  The Internet Companion: A
Beginner's Guide to Global Networking.  Reading, MA: Addison-
Wesley, 1993.  196 pp.  $10.95.  ISBN: 0-201-62224-6.
 
 
About the Author
 
David F. W. Robison, Information Systems Instruction & Support,
130 Doe, University of California, Berkeley, 94720.  Internet:
DROBISON@LIBRARY.BERKELEY.EDU.
 
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     This article is Copyright (C) 1993 by David F. W. Robison.
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