JUNE 99 BONUS BOOK BYTES
The QuickTime VR Book:
Creating Immersive Imaging on Your Desktop
by Susan A. Kitchens
Peachpit Press
<http://www.peachpit.com>
ISBN 0-201-69684-3, 260 pages plus CD
$39.95 U.S., $55.95 Canada
The technology to create panorama and object movies on the Mac is available to all of us, if we have an expert us show us how to proceed. The author includes both step-by-step guidelines and a CD with useful images, and she has a companion website for users of the book. If you are thinking about taking the QTVR plunge, examine this book and let me know if you agree with my untested RECOMMENDATION.
QuickTime and MoviePlayer Pro 3
for Windows and Macintosh, Visual QuickStart Guide
by Judith Stern and Robert Lettieri
Peachpit Press
<http://www.peachpit.com>
ISBN 0-201-35349-0, 246 pages
$17.95 U.S., $24.95
This book comes with its own website, for online resources and updates. The QuickTime evolution is continuous, and new users will benefit from a well-written guide book. From the basics to advanced work within web pages, the author addresses most of the things ambitious readers require to spend even more time in front of their Macs. This book is worth a serious glimpse if you want a closer look at what QuickTime can do.
AppleWorks 5 for Dummies
by Bob LeVitus and Deborah Shadovitz
Dummies Press
<http://www.dummies.com>
ISBN 0-7645-0557-2
$19.99 U.S., $28.99 Canada, £18.99 U.K.
This “new†book is in many aspects identical to a past edition with ClarisWorks in the title, reviewed previously. Now that the iMac is a part of our landscape, we need to think “AppleWorks.†The chapters on AW5 graphics abilities have been expanded, making it easier to see the application’s true power in this department and as a page layout tool. For newcomers to Apple’s sensational integrated software package, the text, sidebars, screen shots, tips, and warnings add up to a Book Bytes RECOMMENDATION.
Author Deborah Shadovitz wrote me to explain what has been updated:
The graphics chapters (drawing and painting and layout) have been reorganized for clarity and there is a lot of new material about how to use the drawing environment for graphics and page layout. If you do a quick look at Chapter 13 you’ll see it is now a real guide to creating/laying out any document in AW5. Before a person looks at buying a full-fledged page layout program he or she can now glance at Chapter 13 to see the layout capabilities already in AppleWorks.
Thanks to the extra input from the AppleWorks User Group’s Bruce Shanker <http://awug.org>, there are a few more tips tossed in here and there, too. Also, remind readers that AW5 and this book are both cross platform so any work you do can be shared with your Windows-using friends.
AppleWorks 5 for Windows and Macintosh,
Visual QuickStart Guide
by C. Ann Brown
Peachpit Press
<http://www.peachpit.com>
ISBN 0-201-35403-9, 216 pages
$17.99 U.S., $26.95 Canada
I was lukewarm on the author’s earlier versions of ClarisWorks guides, and my enthusiasm has not increased with this new title. Doing my best to speak positively about her latest edition, I’m comfortable giving it a mild recommendation, for AW5 users who prefer the matter-of-fact Visual QuickStart format to the lively Dummies approach. Generous purchasers can buy themselves the Dummies book, then give the QuickStart book to a friend, for occasional swapping.
AOL Keywords:
The Fastest Way to Get Where You Want to Go on AOL,
3rd Edition
by Jennifer Watson
MIS Press/IDG Books Worldwide
<http://www.idgbooks.com>
ISBN 0-7645-7502-3, 365 pages
$12.99 U.S., $19.99 Canada, £11.99 U.K.
There are thousands of keywords on America Online, and most members never use them. What a shame, because this book has the entire list, plus a helpful appendix with AOL’s keyboard shortcuts. The author’s team has reviewed many of the more popular and useful keywords, and divided them into sensible categories. AOL members can spend hours every day exploring the keyword lists, and for them I definitely RECOMMEND this affordable book.
DHTML for the World Wide Web, Visual QuickStart Guide
by Jason Cranford Teague
Peachpit Press
<http://www.peachpit.com>
ISBN 0-201-35341-5, 248 pages
$17.95 U.S., $26.95 Canada
Dynamic HTML is powerful when used appropriately, but how to use it? The author recommends previous knowledge of HTML and JavaScript before tackling DHTML. This book is the first I have seen on the subject, and it looks like a winner. If you can learn in a logical series of exercises, examine this book and see if you agree that it is worth a RECOMMENDATION for intermediate-level web-heads.
PERL and CGI for the World Wide Web,
Visual QuickStart Guide
by Elizabeth Castro
Peachpit Press
<http://www.peachpit.com>
ISBN 0-201-35358-X, 272 pages
$18.99 U.S., $28.50 Canada
Book Bytes is a big fan of Liz Castro, and here she is with an ambitious book on programming. Aiming at beginners and intermediates, the book encourages readers to use Perl for web scripting project. Castro expects users to have a basic understanding of HTML. As with her previous titles, this new book is thoughtfully written, and designed to maximize the impact of the Visual QuickStart format. RECOMMENDED.
•John Nemerovski• <nemo@mymac.com>
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.