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Home Networking For Dummies, Third Edition Review by John Matlock
Very Good Basic Overview
This new fourth edition of Ms. Ivens best selling book has been expanded to cover the new Windows Vista operating system which has major changes and is up to date on Windows XP Service Pack 2 which again made changes in areas like security that could effect how your network runs.
This is a basic introductory book that begins with what a network is and why you might need one. It starts with simple things like cables and NICs and goes on from there to start talking about the software, using Windows XP and Vista. (No Linux discussion.)
It seems to me that there are three main reasons for having a home network: sharing printers, sharing files, and sharing a high speed internet connection. Chapter 9 is titles Printing Across the Network. Chapter 11 is Using Files from Other Computers.
There's a little bit here and there on sharing an internet connection, but Ms. Ivens, should you read this, I suggest that in your Fifth edition you put in a special chapter on connecting to DSL/Cable. You can explain about the need for a high speed modem, a router/switch, etc. Yes, I know, the material for this is basically there, but a single chapter tieing it all together would be a help.