Microsoft Books

Quinn's Teach Yourself Microsoft Project 2000 is on target. Many of the people that I meet and work with want to learn or enhance their Microsoft Project skills. Learning theory tells us that teaching ourselves is an excellent, effective and efficient way to master new skills. A critical issue is whether the materials are available, and that's a role this book fulfills.

Reviewing and reflecting immediately upon learning new materials lead to mastery of the subject. Specifically, the end-of-the-chapter sections, Personal Workbook, Extra Practice, Visual Quiz, and Real-World Applications, provide superior self-teaching opportunities. This book states it purpose to allow us to learn Microsoft Project 2000 on our own terms and pace and accomplishes its goals. It's a great way to learn this important and popular software.

My view on what a good software book ought to look like has changed a bit over the years. I use to think it needed to include all of the step-by-steps with detailed examples, but the books just kept coming out with longer and longer list of steps that took forever to navigate. Then I wanted comprehensive desktop reference books but found I never read them and I was always throwing them out with my increasing number of phone books that would pile up in my office. Often I would buy one of those books and then realize when the new version came out I had never even opened the book. I am not sure why I though I would read several 1000+ page technical reference books a year. I can't even get throught the New York Times on Sundays anymore. Besides, MSP on-line help has improved so much that approach seems a bit dated.

Oh yes, I am embarrassed to admit, I too have bought the dummy and idiot books. I won't say more.

For me, learning software is all up to me. I have to teach myself and all I need is a basic guide to work with. I want simple, clean, easy to read, and to-the-point types of books. You know, books that give you just the right amount of information about topic to get you pointed in the right direction. Books, that you mind to much when you find yourself sort of thumbing through topics. Sort of learning and little, and then moving to another topic. This book fits the bill for me. I know software pretty well so I just want the "gist of a topic," a good screen example, and then a couple of steps. Then I am off figuring out the rest on my own.

What I also like about this book is the consistency in approach and organization. Every page has two screen captures in the same location. The steps are right below them, and a topic is only going to span a couple of pages.

I like the blue. The book feels good.

One thing I found myself doing with this book is looking up all of the web sites referenced on the odd-numbered pages. Found some cool project management stuff along the way and read chapters that caught my eye.

Seems MSP is starting to look more like a project management tool with its new WBS custom codes and network diagram that seems to actually work. Now, if Microsoft would only spend a little money on the product and give us a multiple undo (say at least 100) for a little if-then-thinking, I would be a happy planner.

Ray Coker

We need many more books like this. Show it, don't say it! We are visual learners - human see, human do. This book proves that while a picture is worth a thousand words - skip the words! I'll take these pictures any day over some geek stumbling with sentence structure to mess up what is in the help section anyway.

These are brilliantly crafted images that combine the power of a cartoon with the realism of a screen shot. Thumbs way up for this graphic arts talented family (literally) of mostly happy looking daughters. Go Maran family! Show the rest of the publishing world how to explain computers.

I gave this book to some of the senior staff of a client's company who were frustrated (understandably) with their Windows machines. This is a good choice for those new to computers who don't want that "Dummy" series approach.

I have looked at my friend's book and I think that it is great. I'm purchasing one for myself. The book will teach you everything you need to know. The pictures are great detailed.

I teach Visual Basic at several colleges, universities, and computer tech schools. For absolute beginners, this book is the best I've seen so far.

My 9 year old son is producing legitimate Visual Basic applications based on a reading of this book. The end of chapter exercises are superb mechanisms for reinforcing the objectives of the chapter.

In short, this is the first book a beginner should read when attempting to teach themselves Visual Basic.

Of course, no one or one thing is perfect. What my students clamor for more than anything else in an introductory text is at least at cursory look at the data control. Asking the students to spend 30 to 40 class hours without accessing a piece of data external to the program is a little much. This needs to be handled in any introductory text.

This book is tremendous for beginners.I still have 2 more chapers left to go and I've already created many proggrams. This is a great start. The author makes it very simple and easy to understand so it's actually fun to learn and to exparament with all of the exercises at the end of each lesson. I deffinitly recommend this book!

Teach Yourself Visually: Excel 2003 advertises itself as "The Fast and Easy Way to Learn". Yes, yes, yes! I was struggling to learn Excel through black and white reference manuals. That did not work!!! Teach Yourself Visually was my lifesaver!!!! Not only does the color help, but so does the simple explanations, examples, and organizations. Everything a beginner needs to know about Excel can be found in this book. With the help of this book, I created an "intermediate" Excel workbook in 3 hours. I also passed my Excel assessment with flying colors. This is *the book* for Excel beginners. Get it now!!!!!

This is an excellent book for learning how to use Excel. It uses a key system with shapes, numbers and colour-coding. There are coloured pictures for most of the steps mentioned.

This book is very easy to follow. It's much simpler to use than many others which tell you what to do (often fairly long-windedly and with unnecessary details) rather than showing you.

Easy to understand , illustrations are self explanatory. highly recommended for anyone who uses a PC with Power Point!

This title lives up to the expectations set by the other titles in this series - outstanding! Clear, concise, well illustrated directions simple enough for the beginner with enough information and detailed index for the more advanced user.

This book is extremely helpful in understanding all the aspects of windows millenium. I recently went to a computer store this weekend and looked at all the possibilities of the windows millenium versions and this book, by far, is the most cleanest, clearest, and easiest to understand of all the books I looked at. Don't dissapoint yourself, buy it.

Okay my Dad and his wife are almost completely clueless when it comes to using computers. My Dad runs out and buys a new computer with Windows ME. (note: he was running Windows 3.1 on his previous computer) So I bought this for him to help out. He LOVES this book. So does his wife. Very helpful!

Nicely illustrated and descriptive in every detail. You can't fail using this book. You will learn, because you are indeed positioned to learn, and learning is fun with such a self-teaching book.

Great for the beginner and no instructor required!

Janice

I use Word a great deal. I bought this book when I updated my computer. I now have people in my office who call me when they want help. Before I had to do a lot of trial and error. This book is greatr.

For someone who needs quick answers to very specific problems, illustrated in great detail, and indexed very thoroughly, this will be hard to beat. Everything I tried to do was successful on first try. My homebuying clients will appreciate the attractive sheets of financial info. I'm also using it for quick entry of information which I download to my Palmtop.

This was a really good book to read and to understand Excel. It was well indexed and did not get too over the top using geek only talk. I am finding the info a little dated though today and I am looking forward to buying something like Excel 2003 or newer because some of this does not apply to the newer versions of Excel. Based on how well this book was done I will look to the same authors for this too.

I work for a company that provides exchange solutions. This is the end all be all of exchange guides. It may be a little bit overwehlming for a person just cutting their teeth on exchange but if you must understand exchange, this is your book.

My spelling stinks.

I read sample chapters of this book on searchexchange.com and had to get it. It is 100% dead on. Any admin who has to deal with exchange integration (especially 2003) will find this book an excellent guide. The best practices helped my organization. The caption for this book reads:
Providing thorough coverage of implementation, migration and management issues for Exchange 2000 and 2003, this book also describes the best practices of one of the largest Exchange consulting groups outside Microsoft.
You will not need another text besides this one.

If you are trying to make sense of databases like I do then you need this book. Anderson make short work of trying to figure out where to begin in the troubleshooting process of both Access 97 and Access 2000.

The author uses a flow chart style of troubleshooting. You are given a question as to what the problem is and then following along the flow chart you begin to breakdown where the problem lies and what you need to do to fix it.

Step-by-step instruction for topics like charts, graphs, controls, conversions, exporting, filtering, forms, macros, menus, queries, reports, design and toolbars are but a few of the topics covered in this book.

While the book is only 320 pages there is a wealth of information include and you can also get free web solutions. The actual screen shots make it easier for you to make sure you are in the right place. Overall this book is for the beginner to intermediate level user but there might be something for everyone.

For once a book that claims to troubleshoot does just that. An invaluable tool for any Access user. Buy it!