Part I covers a definition of the Web and how the tools of the Internet, Gopher, e-mail, ftp, WAIS, Veronica, and Archie are placed in the background so that the users can utilize its powers transparently. An analogy would be that the World Wide Web is to the Internet as Windows is to DOS. The Web was designed not to replace the existing tools, but rather to integrate them into a highly user-friendly environment, taking advantage of the graphical user interface of today's machines.
Part II covers an essential part of interacting with the WebÐÐthe browsers or software which allow you to interact with the Web. The author covers the different browsers, what is required for connectivity, and tells how to use Mosaic, X Windows, and others. Also covered are browser add-ons, applications that make the Web into multimedia-- graphics files, sound files, video files.
Part III covers the skills needed to effectively use the Web's wealth of resources. December and Randall describe the Internet tools such as ftp, Telnet, gopher, news, and mail. The authors also describe cyberspace searching techniques. Examples are excellent and accurate.
Part IV explores how the Web is being used in a wide range of areas including entertainment, commerce, education, science, technology, communication, government, and communities. The examples in these sections are a must. I would be remiss if I did not mention that the section on community colleges uses our own Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction's home page to help illustrate diversity of information on the Web. Educators and teachers will get excited not only over the possibility of resources available to them but also over the examples of collaborative efforts which create an on-line learning environment beyond the classroom.
Part V gives the readers an opportunity to discover that the Web offers an open architecture, independent of time and space. This unit introduces a methodology for Web "weaving" and offers sections covering basic and advanced Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) with step-by-step procedures for creation of Web pages.
Part VI discusses the challenges of the explosive growth of the Web and the need for information quality. The author equates information quality to the Total Quality Management movement. Ensuring quality "involves a continuous process of planning, analysis, design, implementation, and development to ensure that the information meets user needs in terms of both content and interface."
I liked the authors' writing styles. They are not sloppy with technical terms, and they do not over-explain. There are an enormous number of illustrations which reinforce the reader's ability to connect to a site. If a reader were familiar with the World Wide Web, he/she could connect to sections in the book which are of interest. Reading in chapter order is not a prerequisite for obtaining the knowledge in any one particular area. For example, the authors devote each chapter of Part IV to a specific information area (business & commerce, education, scholarship and research, science and technology, communication, publishing and information, government and communities).
I highly recommend this book for serious World Wide Web users.
