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The thread title says it all really. What are the really worthwhile computer books to have (and what are the ones to avoid)?
To start things off, for computer hardware Scott Mueller's "Upgrading and Repairing PC's" is my well thumbed bible:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846
And for Windows XP I like Bott & Siechert's "Windows XP Inside Out" best of all:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...369647-5260852
Yep, Upgrading and Repairing PC's is very hard to beat. Always been a fave of mine.
I have found Alan Simpson's Windows XP Bible to be helpful
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...722664-2712445
Other than that, if I could put the Internet on my bookshelf then I would :D
The Windows XP Inside Out Second Edition by Bott & Siechert's has been a great book so far. However, I haven't completed the book yet. I have a habit of starting a book and don't finish reading. :)
One of them is a little less than 1500 pages and the other mentioned above is 1600 plus. In addition the companion book of Muellers (and Soper) is another 640 pages. And that is just a couple of the good ones. :D
I've got several, but the ones I keep the most handy are:
Windows XP Professional Complete, published by Sybex. A most excellent reference source.
and
Windows XP Hacks by Preston Gralla, published by O'Reilly Media, Inc..
Has hundreds of tips and tools to tweak the OS.
Also on my bookshelf I keep the monthly editions of MaximumPC magazine....the best one on the market IMHO. Every one is a mini-education.....fun to read too.
Any recommendations for a good book(s) for beginers? For example, I'd like to learn a lot more on working with hardware, and all the basics to keep a computer running smoothly. Things like working with the registry, drivers, formating, bios, etc.
bistro - Is the MaximumPC magazine geared toward the more advanced user? The magazine I read and learn a lot from now is PC Magazine. My son says that only newbs read that one. (I beat him severely) lol :D
Don't forget:
1. Windows XP Secrets (98 Secrets, etc., depending on your OS). By Curt Simmons. Wiley & Sons, 2001.
2. Windows XP Annoyances (ditto 98, etc.). David A. Karp. See also Windows XP Annoyances. Lots of cool tips and forums.
Cheers
Wendy
:cool:
Yes and no. I began reading MaximumPC when it was called boot magazine. I was a "beginner" then, but highly interested in learning about the same things you've mentioned. Some of the articles/material were way beyond me, but the bulk of the mag was terrific. Very few ads (as compared to other mags), lots of hardware reviews and they stuck to their motto "Minimum BS"...lots of humor too. Lots of good, solid articles that were interesting and educational. The staff there would, on occasion, even give a bad review of some hardware that was actually advertised somwhere in the mag...I liked that kind of honesty....showed more concern for their reader's welfare than the advertising bucks. They still stick to that same format and philosophy today. It's still my favorite. I would say that it is geared towards the "experienced PC enthusiast with plenty there for the more technically proficient to take interest in". :D But it also oftens comes with beginning "How To" articles. It usually comes with a CD that has some pretty good demos, a nice sprinkling of freeware utilities and almost always has the latest drivers for ATI and Nvidia graphics cards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Søul
I occasionally pick up a copy of some of the other more popular PC magazines and they almost never fail to disappoint me. The "reviews" as far as I have observed seem to be nothing more than something the product's PR people wrote up. Usually there are 10 or more pages of equipment specification comparison spreadsheets that really don't tell you what you need to really know (i.e. I just want to know....Is the Nikon Super-Deluxe Whatchamathingy Version 5 better than the Ronco Whatchamathingy Version 6?? Why is it better? That spreadsheet doesn't really say).
I guess the big difference I see is that with most PC mags out there, IMHO they are staffed by writers who are interested in computering...and that's fine. But MaximumPC comes across as a magazine that is staffed by people who know how to write, but their first love is getting their hands dirty working inside a computer while munching on Skittles and Coke and who enjoy putting some software through the grinder to see what comes out the other end....just so people like you and me don't have to waste our time and money. I think you would enjoy the mag and pick up a lot of useful knowledge....just have Webopedia open on your computer in case you come across a term you aren't familiar with.
Wow...didn't mean to ramble on like this.... :o :rolleyes: Uh....yes...it's a good magazine.
WOW! I'm convinced. You're on their sales staff aren't you bistro? lol
Thanks for all the information. I'll definately pick up a copy and check it out. And I'll make sure to buy some Skittles and Coke while I'm at it. ;)
Søul
The snack of choice for the elite PC geek....Quote:
Originally Posted by Søul
Trouble is Bistro does use them for snacks maybe if you read between the lines. :D :D
But one thing for sure that I agree on is it is the best out there for a pc magazine. And you better be right if you let them know you disagree on something. :D :D
I like PC World myself. PC Mag, although I subscribe to it (they practically gave it to me free when I subscribed to the PC Mag Utility Library), is pretty boring. Not a lot about computing, more lately on just stuff. A whole bunch of stuff, much of which I'm not really interested in (next thing you know, my refrigerator is gonna be dialing the Internet or something. Enough is enough!). We mostly have what we want -- 3 computers, an MP3 player, a digital camera, a scanner, a camcorder, home theater -- I draw the line. It only makes me curse the pall of rampant consumerism over our society.
By contrast, I really do feel PC World is useful not just for more information about computing versus just gadgets, but also for its consumer stance. At a time when I too was just beginning it seemed as if it took a very pro-consumer line and gave you information you really needed. Like a geek's Consumer Reports.
Cheers
Wendy
:cool: ;) :D
Smart Computing puts out some quarterlies that on occasion that are good.
MaximumPC is MUCH cheaper, if you just get the magazine and let them keep the junk.
On this side of the pond I like PC Pro magazine best of all of them:
www.pcpro.co.uk
It is firmly aimed at the professional/experienced computer user though, so probably isn't a good mag for the inexperienced user.
PC Plus is also an excellent mag (though outrageously expensive), with some great programming articles.
www.pcplus.co.uk
My old favourite, Computer Shopper, seems to have gone badly downhill ever since they brought the editor over from a mag that was aimed sqarely at people who couldn't work out how to even turn a PC on. It's gradually descending to that level now, which is a real shame as it used to be on a par with PC Pro :mad:
Two other books than can be very useful is "Creative HTML Design.2" by Lynda Weinman and William Weinman. The other "HTML" by Elizabeth Castro.
I'll have to second SuperSparks on PCPro (although MaximumPC is still my favorite). PCPro is available here in the States at Border's, Barnes and Noble, etc.. It's a great magazine, but a tad expensive...around 15 bucks...but it comes with a pretty decent CD, it's nice and thick and has some excellent articles.
Ouch, that is pricy. It's one of the cheapest mags here as well :rolleyes:
Still at least you can get it, I've looked for MaximumPC, having heard so many good things about it, but I can't get ahold of it anywhere :(
An international annual subscription for the CD issue will cost 53$ U.S.. Their web site for anyone who is interested. Below is their blurb on the mag. I can attest to the fact that this isn't just sales hype; it's really is like they say here:
Please...I'm not trying to spam here. It that I've found this mag to be a tremendous resource for info. "No BS" as they say. I would highly recommend this one for anyone's library. I still find myself referring to back issues for info that I need.Quote:
Maximum PC is the savvy PC owner's monthly dose of new products, tips & techniques and in-depth reviews. It delivers truthful, straightforward, hard-hitting editorials to the PC owner. It also comes with a CD loaded with powerful demos of leading-edge software, and much more.
It's your PC, and someone has to give it to you straight. We'll give you the truth behind the hype, the beefiest reviews anywhere, adrenaline-pumping games, apps that let you work smarter, and tips and tweaks to fine-tune your machine and blast performance. At Maximum PC, we have one person's interest in mind: Yours.
Addendum: I stand corrected. I just went to Barnes and Noble and a copy of the UK's PC Pro with CD is $11.95, not $15 as I said before.
I agree with Bistro on Maximum PC .
A good one it is.
"Windows XP Home Edition Complete" by Sybex is the best computer book I read, and least expensive at $19.99. It covers every Windows function in clear and simple terms, and gives instructions on what menu commands to use to perform every function.
Very useful for beginners and intermediate users.
PC Mag and PC World are useful and interesting although PC Mag got the "media" bug and writes about anything electrical I think. Still I found their product reviews helpful when taken with a grain of salt.
Some of us live on Code Red and Pixie Stix :)Quote:
Originally Posted by bistro
Another magazine that sits next to my recent copies of MaxPC is CPU magazine. Some good (and well-known) writers like Anand, Sharky, and others.
If you do any building/upgrading, a decent First Aid manual is always nice to have on the shelf. :D
Aaaaaah! Skittles with a Pixie Stick chaser......life is good.
:D
Umm, well since I have owned about 300 or more computer reference books in my past, I am surprised no one else has said it ...
Save space and a TREE! Go E-BOOK :rolleyes:
My choices ... just about everything under the sun by SYBEX for testing.
O'Reilly for everything seriously tedious and in-depth.
I have to say that I agree with Silicon Scream. I have a bookshelf full of books and binders from Oracle 8i complete reference, through ColdFusion web application development resouce kit, JavaScript, C++, VB6, Linux Red Hat 7 Bible...... that cost me over a thousand dollars while I was taking my 2 year web developers course. I use the JavaScript book on occasion, but other than that they are pretty well all outdated after 3 years.
For most stuff I have a binder sitting right next to my PC with quick reference to ASCII special characters, HTML 4 tags with attributes, Regular expressions, UNIX cheat sheets and the 1st 4 chapters of "Build your own database driven website using PHP and MySQL" by Kevin Yank (sitepoint.com).
For hardware related stuff I rely on online resources and tend to look for stuff on an as needed basis.
So much for the paperless society that computers were supposed to bring. My wife could bring home hundreds of sheets every week of printed email jokes, manuals, and other "stuff" that people at work send to the printer and then forget about then print off again; they just sit in the printer tray then end up stacked up on a shelf. That's the paper I use to print off the occasional thing I think I should keep for a long term reference, recycled.
Almost everything else I need I can find by searching forums like Virtual Dr for OS/HW related stuff, Sitepoint for web development issues or doityourself.com for fixing stuff around the house....
I have loved the Internet since I got it in January 1997 for the volume of information available. Now I have some decent bookmarks and have toned my searching skills to some degree and have no real need to purchase 1500 page books that will become bookstops within a year.
(Edit: it's come a long way from the 28.8 kbps to the 2.7 M DSL)
I have Upgrading and Repairing Pcs 14th and the tenth aniversary edition by Scott Mueller, also have the older editions as a PDF and a DVD
The classic oldies Dos for Dummies, teach your self dos and Using Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 for dummies.
My Network + and A+ certification books my Mike Myers.
The complete FreeBSD
I picked up the "Microsoft Windows Command Line Admnistrator's Pocket Consultant" over the weekend @ $30.00 from B&N. A worthy add-on that I will continually use for scripts within my network.
I recommend this one for any admin