This is better than most of the Internet books we receive. We manage to glean a few gems out of the Internet Book Glut that comes into our office and The Usenet Book is one of the Gems. You probably won't be hearing about our rejects either since we only have time to review our favorites.
January 8, 1997
Only about 1/4 of the book is a list and description of different newsgroups (I feared it would make up the bulk). An overall description of what newsgroups are and an introduction to fundamentals of how to conduct yourself in a newsgroup occupies another pretty good sized chunk of the 468 pages. Involved descriptions of various newsreaders and their respective pluses and minuses along with technical discussions of establishing and running your own newsgroups top it off.
The Usenet book is aimed primarily at beginners although even the net savvy are bound to find some useful nuggets of information. The most important message of the book is that there are ways to sort through the thousands of newsgroups and reach the information you need. Dr. Pfaffenberger clearly shows that newsgroups can provide a valuable resource for professional and personal growth. Finding the information you need from computer help to gardening ideas will be easier using The Usenet Book for a guide. This is not alt.just.another.internet.book. It's a handy guide.
