Hardware Books


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Hardware Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Hardware
Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking
Published in Paperback by Routledge (2009-04-15)
Author: Nicolas Collins
List price: $115.00
New price: $106.68

Average review score:

If you can't crack it open, it doesn't really belong to you.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-15
A great guide to taking apart old electronic noisemakers and turning them into something new. Also includes simple DIY electronic circuits with all the steps. The projects are compelling and workable. Give this to a young person and change their whole outlook on DIY.

Excellent Book, Great For Novices & Experienced Alike
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-30
This is a really fun book, with lots of projects for budding electronic musicians. But it goes beyond that: It's a solid intro to electronics and CMOS components. I went into this book thinking it might be too basic, yet I walked away with a lot of ideas, and some interesting new techniquess.

I wish that more electronics writers would cover the material with this author's style and accuracy. Also, kudos for providing parts sources and for using easy to find and inexpensive components. (I've seen many people, myself included, become frustrated by hard-to-find parts lists or the use of discontinued items. These projects suffer from neither of those problems.)

In the end, you'll be left wanting to know more about the components and techniques you've picked up. (You'll probably want to add Don Lancaster's classic CMOS Cookbook to your shopping cart. It will give you the details about many of these components.) Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to other books by this author.

so good for electronic musicians and composers
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18
Ah ! this book is one of the best i bought.
I just love it !!

Rediscovers the simple facts of electronic music
Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-07
Ever since products such as GarageBand took over the low-level tasks of producing electronic music and turned us all into application users, much has been forgotten about making music with low-level electronic components. In the case of younger electronic musicians, this may be an art form they never even knew in the first place. Although there is an advantage is computer musicians speaking a common language through a common application, something fascinating in the realm of experimentation has been largely lost. This book returns to the days of yesteryear with some projects in making your own electronic music with basic devices.

The book starts with some brief information on the tools you'll need plus the author's seven rules for experimentation. Part two is dedicated to listening. He shows you how to use radios and coils to find hidden electronic music, how to use the speaker as a microphone and vice versa, and how to use piezo disks to pick up tiny sounds, among other topics. Part three, on touching, shows you how to transform a portable radio into a synthesizer, change the clock circuit in toys to produce new sounds, and use photocells and pressure pads to "play" the modified toy. Part four, Building, shows the reader how to breadboard up some oscillators along with some controlling circuitry and produce gating, ducking, tremolo and panning effects. Part five, Looking, concerns translating video to audio using commonly found devices. The final section goes into depth on mixing circuits, how to build a good but cheap amplifier, connecting sensors to computers via game controllers, and a section on power supplies.

The book is written such that you should proceed from beginning to end, since the devices in earlier sections are used to assemble the devices in later chapters. By the time you finish you should have entire experimental musical instruments that you have assembled yourself.

Let's make music!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
This is a great book if you are a electroacoustic composer, you can make cheap sensors and rare instruments... ready - if you want - to plug to Max/MSP or Ethersense...or Teabox... Thanks to Gregory Taylor from Cyclin'74.

Hardware
Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking
Published in Paperback by Routledge (2006-03)
Author: Nicolas Collins
List price: $28.95
New price: $23.16
Used price: $25.35

Average review score:

If you can't crack it open, it doesn't really belong to you.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-15
A great guide to taking apart old electronic noisemakers and turning them into something new. Also includes simple DIY electronic circuits with all the steps. The projects are compelling and workable. Give this to a young person and change their whole outlook on DIY.

Excellent Book, Great For Novices & Experienced Alike
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-30
This is a really fun book, with lots of projects for budding electronic musicians. But it goes beyond that: It's a solid intro to electronics and CMOS components. I went into this book thinking it might be too basic, yet I walked away with a lot of ideas, and some interesting new techniquess.

I wish that more electronics writers would cover the material with this author's style and accuracy. Also, kudos for providing parts sources and for using easy to find and inexpensive components. (I've seen many people, myself included, become frustrated by hard-to-find parts lists or the use of discontinued items. These projects suffer from neither of those problems.)

In the end, you'll be left wanting to know more about the components and techniques you've picked up. (You'll probably want to add Don Lancaster's classic CMOS Cookbook to your shopping cart. It will give you the details about many of these components.) Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to other books by this author.

so good for electronic musicians and composers
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18
Ah ! this book is one of the best i bought.
I just love it !!

Rediscovers the simple facts of electronic music
Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-07
Ever since products such as GarageBand took over the low-level tasks of producing electronic music and turned us all into application users, much has been forgotten about making music with low-level electronic components. In the case of younger electronic musicians, this may be an art form they never even knew in the first place. Although there is an advantage is computer musicians speaking a common language through a common application, something fascinating in the realm of experimentation has been largely lost. This book returns to the days of yesteryear with some projects in making your own electronic music with basic devices.

The book starts with some brief information on the tools you'll need plus the author's seven rules for experimentation. Part two is dedicated to listening. He shows you how to use radios and coils to find hidden electronic music, how to use the speaker as a microphone and vice versa, and how to use piezo disks to pick up tiny sounds, among other topics. Part three, on touching, shows you how to transform a portable radio into a synthesizer, change the clock circuit in toys to produce new sounds, and use photocells and pressure pads to "play" the modified toy. Part four, Building, shows the reader how to breadboard up some oscillators along with some controlling circuitry and produce gating, ducking, tremolo and panning effects. Part five, Looking, concerns translating video to audio using commonly found devices. The final section goes into depth on mixing circuits, how to build a good but cheap amplifier, connecting sensors to computers via game controllers, and a section on power supplies.

The book is written such that you should proceed from beginning to end, since the devices in earlier sections are used to assemble the devices in later chapters. By the time you finish you should have entire experimental musical instruments that you have assembled yourself.

Let's make music!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
This is a great book if you are a electroacoustic composer, you can make cheap sensors and rare instruments... ready - if you want - to plug to Max/MSP or Ethersense...or Teabox... Thanks to Gregory Taylor from Cyclin'74.

Hardware
Healing the Hardware of the Soul: How Mak the Brain-Soul Connection Can Optimize Your Life, Love, and Spiritual Growth
Published in Hardcover by Free Press (2002-04-02)
Author: Daniel Amen
List price: $30.00
New price: $13.95
Used price: $10.45
Collectible price: $25.00

Average review score:

Healing The Hardware of the Soul
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-01
Very interesting and helpful. Just getting time to use it and am so happy I bought it. Should be encourageing to make some needed changes in my life.

Another great Amen book!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-23
I am a fan of Dr. Amen's work for many reasons. He has really opened up the science of the mind in profound ways. He is a brain researcher who attended a Christian University. His findings about the human brain will change the way we look at things like mental health, behavioral problems and as this book illustrates, even the nature of the soul/brain relationship. I don't agree with Dr. Amen on all of his conclusions (like doing brain scans on our elected officials so we can see what sort of brain problems they might have), but I have learned quite a bit from his books about the nature of how our brain health affects every part of our lives. Highly Recommended!

healing the hardware of the soul
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-25

give us very good thought of souk

beautiful book

The Inspiration for my New-Found Compassion
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-26
For the first time in my life, BECAUSE of Dr. Amen's book, my outlook on sick & suffering people, is FOREVER altered. I am deeply grateful for this book, for Dr. Amen's work, his compassion, and his graciousness in sharing it with the world. I, like most people, have expended energy on judging certain people, and groups of people. After a huge spiritual & emotional break-through while reading this book, this has changed. I have true compassion and lack of judgement for sick people, because I now understand the cause and effect: healthy brain - healthy person - healthy life. As Dr. Amen says; these people need understanding - not moral judgement. Thank you Dr. Amen, for your work that has drawn me so much closer to God and my true desire in life: compassion, love, and understanding -for all.

Healing the Hardware of the Soul
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-02
This is a wonderful book. Combining science with spirituality. It is very easy to understand. Dr. Amen does it again. Anyone looking for answers should read this book.

Hardware
The Macintosh Digital Hub: An Interactive Guide to iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD
Published in Paperback by Peachpit Press (2002-07-17)
Author: Jim Heid
List price: $29.99
New price: $0.99
Used price: $0.18

Average review score:

This book should be the standard for all Software Tutorials
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-02
After fumbling through my iMac's "Help" system, with little success (because I didn't know enough to ask the right questions), this interactive book, with a DVD, about the Macintosh iHub applications (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD) was a "bolt out of the blue"!

It is the best organized, and easily understood tutorial that I have ever experienced in my long computer life
(I had my Boy Scout Troop attendance on punch cards in 1937).

In a short period of time this book had me downloading my "old" VHS movies, creating titles with special fade effects, importing background music, and producing DVDs of my family's "visual history" for my kids and grandkids to play on their TV's. Thank you Mr. Heid!

I hope Mr. Heid follows this up with an "update" that covers the new iLife release.

Great Book. Killer DVD.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-02
Buy this book and an iMac and you'll never look back! Great read, and an awesome DVD. If your into digital photography, music or making home movies this book shows you how the digital hub applications are so simple a child could use them, but they also are so powerful as a professional I would swear by them.

Get the "new version", Macintosh iLife, instead
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-26
Note that as of April 2003, this book has been superceded by the author's newer "The Macintosh iLife, an Interactive Guide to iTunes, iPhoto, iMove and iDVD" which covers newer versions of these applications. I wish I had known that when I ordered this book...

Still, I enjoyed the Macintosh Digital Hub a lot. It is a great overview of the iApplications, explaining their purpose and how to do common tasks in an interesting and easy to follow way. It also points out tips and shortcuts you may not be aware of if you haven't read the documentation (and who really does?)

The book itself is beautifylly laid out (coffee table style) with lots of ilustrations and pictures and the DVD complements it nicely. I'd recomend watching the DVD and then reading the more detailed chapters. This type of book would make a great gift to someone who just got a Mac.

Excellent resource for iLife users
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-01
I've had my iMac for about a year now and thought I had become a reasonably successful user of the iLife software (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD). Since purchasing this book, I now realize I have only scratched the surface of possibilities for my iMac as the 'digital hub' of my home. This book/DVD combo provides for the most effective method of learning I've come across in a how-to book; I read about the steps necessary to complete an action- for example, within iMovie, then watch it on the DVD, then try it myself, stopping to pause and review the DVD if I find myself a little confused or unsure of the next step. The book and DVD complement each other perfectly. I am extremely pleased with this book. It has demonstrated the elegance and intuitive simplicity for which I bought an Apple computer. Kudos to the author and editorial team.

Can't say enough about this book and DVD.
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-07
My office is littered with "how to" books about computers and software and none can compare to this approach. It's like having someone in the room while you make your way through the learning process. I've always believed you can't just learn how to use these programs and put them away until later. You have to use them every day, and then you will know what you are doing; this approach breaks the ice. This is like the "Teach Yourself Visually" series, only better because the DVD supplements what is in the book. They have others on Word and Photoshop and I will be buying them soon. The only bad thing I can say is buy you copy from Amazon.com for [money], I paid [money] at [name].

Hardware
Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Administrator's Pocket Consultant (IT-Administrator's Companion)
Published in Paperback by Microsoft Press (2000-08-26)
Author: William R. Stanek
List price: $29.99
New price: $19.99
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Love this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-10-24
This book has saved me a lot of time that I would have otherwise spent combing through huge Exchage reference books. As an Exchange Administrator, I have already found this book to be an invaluable asset in my reference library. Answers to many common administrative questions and "How To's" are easily found in this handy little volume. You gotta love its size.

Smart Choice for Exchange admins and devs
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-07
Out of all the Exchange 2000 Server books I purchased, this one is the only one I used regularly. I have since purchased Stanek's Exchange Server 2003 book and it is equally as good if not better. For admins, it provides the essential details with clear, precise steps for implementing common features. For devs, it provides the cut to the chase info you need to get in there and get out quickly. I would recommend this very highly.

Saved the day!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-30
I bought this book for our Exchange admin when we were moving to Exchange 2000 from 5.5. Two months later I was going to be the one implementing Exchange and this book came to the rescue in a big way. As a total Exchange newbie I learned everything I needed (and now know) about Exchange from this book. Sure there are bigger books but not better books. If you are a Exchange guru, this book will be a little on the basic side for you. However, if you are anything less than a guru or if you are a new I would highly recommend this book.

Extremely Valuable
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-14
I had a need to quickly resolve a problem with Exchange 2000 Server, having never worked with it before. This book was an excellent resource for that purpose. Not because it gave me the exact answer I needed (which I doubt many books would do) but because it clearly and concisely explained what you can do with Exchange 2000 Server and how to do it. It showed how to do things properly and from that it was fairly easy to deduce what was wrong.

Because the book is well structured (no excess verbage, no "chattiness") it's easy to read, clear and to the point. It gets to the point and stays on target.

All in all an excellent reference you'll use over and over and, I think, an excellent place to start learning Exchange 2000 Server. I find that this book tells what Exchange 2000 Server can do and how to do it. With that knowledge I think you'll be better grounded if and when you go for more in depth understanding of architecture and the like. After this book, if you want more in depth information you can move on to other (bigger) books but I think you'll get the biggest bang for the buck from this one..

Excellent for what it is
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-25
This is excellent when used for quick reference and only for the experienced and knowledgeable. This is inappropriate for beginners since Exchange is intertwined with Active Directory. Without knowing all the implications of performing the various tasks outlined in the book, it can be detrimental to a company.

Hardware
Microsoft Windows Desktop Deployment Resource Kit
Published in Paperback by Microsoft Press (2004-08-11)
Author: Jerry Honeycutt
List price: $59.99
New price: $6.88
Used price: $6.90

Average review score:

Very informative!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-14
This book was invaluable when trying to upgrade our companies RIS server from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003 and then to WDS from there.

Excellent resouce for deployment of XP
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-23
This book is a great resource for helping to plan the deployment of XP. I've been able to use many of the ideas and tips from the book to help redesign my deployment plan for my own company. A great job was done by Jerry in writing and explaining the different ways to deploy XP. Excellent Job, Excellent Book!!!

a Clear and useful guide
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-17
The "Desktop Deployment Resource Kit" is exactly what I have been
looking for. Standardizing all of my desktops to Windows XP will be a challenge and the most challenging part seems to be honing in on what my team needs to know.

This book lays it out so you can read through topics quickly while keeping the big picture in play. When I begin my project I am sure it will be a constant companion to help me though some of the tough spots.

Thanks Jerry!

The right tool for Desktop Deployment
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-25
If you are planning a massive desktop deployment than this is book you should use. I had no previous experience in doing an unattended install and this book walked me through the entire process following the distribution sample provided in Chapter 7. Mr. Honeycutt has left no stone unturned. His book gives you in-depth technical information and tools to deploy and manage Microsoft Windows XP Desktop. With it, you get prescriptive guidance to help choose the best deployment method and tools for common scenarios; perform attended and unattended installations; automate the deployment process, control policy and profile settings for desktop operating systems and applications; automate deployments for Office and other programs; and more. The book comes with a CDROM containing extra documentation, tools, sample templates, and scripts. Just add your Windows XP I386 files and half the battle is done. This is a great book and well written. Thanks Jerry for writing something for my simple mind!


Still good - years later
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-18
I write this review partially evaluating the information it contains, but also how it has held up over time. This book came out in late 2003 and it is now early 2006. A successor to Windows XP is already known, but that doesn't mean that Windows XP is on the way out or that companies will not just now be deploying that OS either for the first time, or redeploying as a refresh to encompass service packs, hotfixes and larger updated application suites, such as Microsoft Office. In short, a competent title covering the deployment of XP is still needed.

In short, everything you need to know about preparing Windows XP for deployment using the Microsoft approved and supported tools and methods is found inside. The authors cover in-depth the planning one should take within the environment to configure, deploy, and manage a desktop. You are instructed on the proper way to prepare the desktop for mass distribution, configure and run the utilities to ensure that the final OS image is not deployed duplicating network identification data, as well as running user state migration to transfer settings between builds. Distribution technologies, such as RIS and SMS are covered, although any commonly used third party utility, such as Symantec Ghost is not. There are also chapters dedicated to reviewing service pack and hotfix management, group policy management, as well as software updates (to Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Office 2003). And lastly, you are given a few different syntax guides to such things as SysPrep and Administrative Templates.

I believe, however, that this title could use a second edition. Even when it was released, some of the services covered were on their way out, and two years later, entire chapters of this book are now useless for many. For example, chapter 17 deals with distribution of XP via Microsoft SMS 2.0. Today, SMS 2003 is the standard and deployment of desktops and servers can be done using a feature pack. As the bulk of the Windows XP preparation has not changed, adding the SMS 2003 information would add a great deal of value. This book also talks about using Windows PE as a management OS for deployment. In 2003, WinPE was not available to many (and is still not, although that availability is on the rise and this book does point you to WinPE alternatives), although it is included and licensed in SMS 2003. The current WinPE section is still very informative, but a refresh overview to cover the changes in the more widely available version would be nice. The different service packs released for Windows XP also bring about new components of the OS as well as new generations of deployment tools, such as SysPrep. Again, although the current information is still very useful, a second edition could cover those changes to the OS and tools.

All things considered, this is still an excellent title and for the most part is as relevant today as when it was released. Administrators looking for an informational source on configuring and packaging the OS itself will find great value here, whereas those looking for information on the deployment mechanisms may need additional books / material in addition to what is presented here, especially if you are not planning on using Microsoft technologies.

Hardware
Mr. Modem's Internet Guide for Seniors
Published in Paperback by Sybex Inc (2001-08-15)
Authors: Richard A. Sherman and Richard Sherman
List price: $24.99
New price: $24.99
Used price: $0.81

Average review score:

Paul Harvey was right
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-07
I read the reviews then bought Mr. Modem's book. Paul Harvey was right. This IS the book that takes the gobbledygook out of computers. I'm 72 years old. This book was fun, easy-to-read, and helped me greatly. I would recommend it to anybody. Thank you, Mr. Modem. Please write more books.

Not Just for Seniors!
Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-03
Mr. Modem's book is filled with wonderful information for surfers of all ages! It's a terrific resource and so much fun to read. I couldn't believe I found myself laughing outloud while reading a computer book.

When my dad got his new computer a couple of months ago and wanted to start surfing the Internet, I let him borrow my copy and now I can't get it back from him. He's learned so much and is now a real pro.

My personal favorite chapter is the one on web sites. This is by far the best collection of web site URL's I've ever come across. I also learned so much in the chapter on search engines which has really helped me find what I'm looking for on the web much quicker.

Thanks, Mr. Modem, for writing such an educational AND entertaining book!

The Ultimate Internet Guide
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-11
If you or anyone you care about is reluctant or afraid to get connected to the Internet because it seems complicated and time-consuming or because you think you can't teach an old pup new tricks, you should get connected to "Mr. Modem's Internet Guide for Seniors" first. Clear, concise, and all-encompassing, this guide anticipates a learner's questions, allays technical fears, and proceeds in an orderly way to cover what it takes to get up and running on the Internet. Best of all, Mr. Modem keeps it simple, safe, satisfying, and fun for those who did not get to attend Internet classes in a previous life. You can move through the chapters at your own pace and, in some cases, in your own sequence.

Although I have been surfing the Internet for a while, I found many useful tips, new links, and great sites in this guide. If I could have only one Internet guide in my life, Mr. Modem's guide would be that one.

Good work, Mr. Modem!

Great gift for dad/mom/grandparent... (you get the idea)
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-28
I bought this book as a holiday gift for my dad (who has always been a bit stymied by his desktop computer) -- he dove right into it & didn't speak to any of us for a couple of hours, so judging by that reaction, I'd have to guess that it was pretty readable for your average intelligent-but-techno-naive senior. Mr. Modem covers a lot of ground (how to get online with an ISP, how to use a search engine, etc.) without going too deeply into any particular topic. Instead, the book gives lots of URLs and places for the neo-surfer to try out his new skills. Hey, maybe Dad will even get the hang of Amazon.com soon ;-)

Go Mr. Modem!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-01
This is a great book for people intimidated by the Internet. Information is presented in a fun and friendly fashion. Nice work, Mr. Modem!

Hardware
PCs: The Missing Manual
Published in Paperback by Pogue Press (2007-12-20)
Author: Chris Grover
List price: $24.99

Average review score:

PCs: The Missing Manual Review
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-02
PCs: The Missing Manual is written by Andy Rathbone, one of the greatest computer book writer. For me he is. You know what Andy Rathbone, you are right. You should come with that book a long time ago. I was bad at troubleshooting computers. Since I bought that book, I know how to speed up my computer, remove viruses and many other threats. There is another tricks that remained unknown to me: Disk Defragmenter. After I knew how to run the Disk Defragmenter, my computer become as fast as Sonic. I did not finish reading that book yet, but if I finish reading that book, I will be a good computer technician or even a good computer engineer.

Andy Rathbone is the best !!!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-15
Andy is an excellent professional and his literature work is awesome and very simple to follow. And if you ever requested a tech support on his Web site, you'll know that is the best support that any body can deliver. He's the best among the best without any doubt !!!!....Rafael Sanchez from Caracas-Venezuela :-)

Not only tells all, but in user-friendly language
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-08
Andy Rathbone's PES: The Missing Manual is another recommended winner, again helping bridge the gap between program and learner with a book which moves quickly from the basics to more advanced computer concepts - all linked to user needs. With its surveys of how software and hardware interact to how to tweak either for maximum performance, and how to troubleshoot common problems including spyware and Internet viruses, PES: The Missing Manual not only tells all, but in user-friendly language.

"Missing Manual" by Andy Rathbone
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-06
This is THE book for the novice pc user or even the more experienced user, the Missing Manual truly should have been in the box when your new PC was brought to your door!It covers every subject from setting up your PC to connecting your favorite printer,digital camera,webcam,also, how to connect to the internet,surf the web, set-up e-mail, and so much more.
For the more advanced PC user, in the back of the book,The electronic reference library for programmers and IT professionals.
There is still more to be offered in this book, several useful and informative websites as you read from chapter to chapter, and finally,"as if there could be more to offer" visit [...] for a tidy list of the shareware programs described in this book, ready for you to download.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to be as proficent and up-to-date as they can be with their PC.

Takes a Broad Subject and Does It Well
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-17
Once upon a time, computers came with big, thick, intimidating manuals filled with every bit of arcane knowledge the designers thought that the user would need. Nobody ever read them, partly because of their size, but mainly because it was tedious, time-consuming work to sift throught the manual to try to find the answer you actually needed.

Eventually, manufacturers stopped making these massive manuals - instead, they printed up short "quick-start guides" to get people started. Unfortunately, these guides served much the same purpose as detour signs do in road construction. They take you just far enough to get you lost and then leave you there with no clue what to do next. Readers end up like drivers: lost, confused, and frustrated.

PCs: The Missing Manual is designed to change that. This book, like each of the other Missing Manuals books, gives users a base of knowledge to build on. Unlike those early computer manuals, the book does it in a way that people can understand and follow, and it doesn't just drop you off in the middle of nowhere. Also unlike the early manuals, it goes beyond the PC itself and covers many popular peripherals and accessories - including scanners, digital cameras, and MP3 players.

When writing a book like this, covering such a broad topic as PCs in general, it's easy to go into information overload. That's something that Rathbone manages to avoid, mainly by offering a lot of content online through O'Reilly's Missing CD web site.

The most valuable resources in the book are the troubleshooting guides. Printer troubles, camera problems, even network difficulties are covered and in enough detail that the average user can solve the most common problems quickly and easily. There's also a section covering security and maintenance, including combating spyware and phishing schemes.

PCs: The Missing Manual is basic enough that average computer users can read it and make good use of it. If you are looking for something that will teach you details about modifying and upgrading your system, this isn't the book for you - you'll want to get a different O'Reilly book - Repairing and Upgrading Your PC (review forthcoming).

Hardware
Pinnacle Studio 9 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)
Published in Paperback by Peachpit Press (2004-02-20)
Author: Jan Ozer
List price: $21.99
New price: $8.16
Used price: $1.04

Average review score:

Excellent book
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-29
Simply put, read this book and you will definitely be able to produce excellent movies.
The book can be read from start to finish or just dip in to where the specific information is. The book is written so both ways work.The clear instructions enable even a novice to be proud - even amazed at what they can do.
Two days after reading this book I put a mini movie on the internet! If I can, you can!

Now, Studio 9 Plus is covered
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-04
As an owner of the author's Pinnacle Studio 8 book, I waited to buy what I anticipated to be his Pinnacle Studio 9 Plus book. But wait no more. A supplemental chapter covering the 9 Plus features - PIP, Pan and Zoom, and Chroma Key, is avaiable at http://www.doceo.com/studio9.html under "Click here to download free chapter on new features of Studio Plus", and now I have the equivalent of the Studio Plus 9 book.
I agree with the other reviewer's comments and no point in repeating them here, except to say that for me the best parts about the author's presentations are the illustrative examples.

Great Book for After you Get The Software Loaded.
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-25
Pinnacle's Studio 9 is a love it or hate it package. At $99 (retail price) it is very inexpensive for what you get. The problem, people report, has been getting it to work on their system -- I also hear that the newest release of the package is much, much better. It also seems to work better with Intel Pentium CPU's than with AMD and it also likes memory, say a gigabyte.

But as for the book, this is one of the Visual Quickstart Guides. They're great. They use a format of having two columns on each page with the outside column being text and the inside being pictures. Each page is devoted to some small task and handles that task completely. You can start at the front of the book and go all the way through and you'll get a pretty good tutorial on the software. Or you can use the index to skip around and quickly get to the particular detail you are looking for.

Jan Ozer is an excellent writer. He starts out with the statement "you have the manual for the software" and then goes on from there. This is not a manual of how to, this is a what and why kind of book that explains what it is that you are trying to do and then goes on to tell you how to do it. The manual tells you how to do a J-Cut and an L-Cut. This book tells you what they are.

The author sails to new horizons with Pinnacle Studio 9 Visual Quickstart Guide!
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-30
I've read numerous technical books on many subjects and have never sailed through the software as smoothly as with this book.
If you're looking for a tutorial that can whiz you through the subject matter with ease and accuracy this is it! No matter where you wish to refer back to, you can do it without reading the whole chapter (as with other tutorials). Quickstart is the name however I feel it should be named Quick referrence.
Best investment I've made in a while. I'm making movies that are in awe at my office. I've been told they have been made professionally.

A "Must" for Studio 9
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-29
This is probably one of the most informative books on video editing that you can buy. The author is an expert in the field and has the ability to not just tell you how to do something, but make you understand what is going on and thereby enabling an intuitive feel for using the program. His "Studio 8 for Windows" carried me from the depths of ignorance to a level of competence that allows me to knock out complicated projects in record time; this new Studio 9 version will do the same for you plus. This book will enable the beginner to successfully edit productions with minimum heartache....but READ before you start clicking madly away.

Hardware
QuickTime for the Web : A Hand-on Guide for Webmasters, Site Designers, and HTML Authors (with CD-ROM) (Quicktime Developer Series)
Published in Paperback by Morgan Kaufmann Publishers (2000-05-01)
Author: Steven W. Gulie
List price: $54.95
New price: $18.83
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Explains how to use QuickTime clearly for non-programmers
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-03
I've been using QuickTime for nearly ten years, and have often been frustrated when trying to explain to people that it is not just for video and sound any more. The frustration stems from the lack of examples and explanations to use these powerful features for non-programmers. This book changes that. It explains clearly and wittily how to use QuickTime to enhance your website or CD-ROM, and take advantage of over 10 years of cutting-edge digital media technology for free.

[Full disclosure - I work for Apple on the QuickTime Engineering team, and know the author - believe me I wouldn't endorse this book if it wasn't great]

A Rare Find in the World of Computer Books!
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-09
This book is a must have if you plan on working with QuickTime to make multimedia content available! I call this book 'a rare find', as it is great for beginner through master, leaving few questions unanswered or stones unturned. The text is a good mix of "how to" information combined with "tips and tricks" to get your implementations to work.

I purchased this book for its material regarding steaming content over the Internet, and learned a great deal in the process. The chapter on QuickTime VR answered my "how do they do that?" questions, and has led me to explore the use of this technique for my upcoming projects.

The QuickTime VR chapter is a good example of the depth of knowledge used to develop this text, as it gives in-depth information on photography techniques that only a mid- to experienced photographer would know.

My only criticism of the book is that it only begins to explore about half of the knowledge needed to set up your own streaming web server, but I can hardly fault the authors for that -- it says right on the cover "A Hands-On Guide for Webmasters, Site Designers, and HTML Authors." It says nothing about being aimed at System or Network Administrators. If your main interest in this book is the setup of streaming servers, you might want to consider another book (or better yet, purchase this book along with another to round out your knowledge).

With the ... QuickTime Pro included, I can say without reservation that this is one of the best computer book values I have ever purchased. The book paid for the rest of the cost by showing me how to trick Microsoft Internet Explorer / Windows Media Player in such a way that it will not try to open your .mov files (great in a Windows-dominated environment)!

Highly recommended, even if you have only a passing interest in QuickTime.

An holistic resource
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-12
This is an important resource for anyone who is serious about maximizing the potential of Quicktime. At Rayhawk.com we have been using this book to enhance our web productions and the results have been noticable, not only to us, but to our clients (KFC, Taco Bell, BMW, Porsche).

The book is full of useful info and the author is fun and helpful. He assumes we have little prior knowledge with either QuickTime or HTML and by the end of the book, he teaches us how to produce some amazing content.

Essential Reading for Web Delivery of Multimedia
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-23
Mastering QuickTime is essential to quickly and easily building exciting, dymamic and interactive web sites. This book (QuickTime for the Web) is essential to mastering QuickTime for the web. It has saved me more time and energy than any book I've bought in the last two years.

QuickTime for the Web
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-17
This book is a must have! From how to create VR with interactive sounds and sprites - to getting your video or photos streaming on the web - this book shows you how. As a web master of a site with over 100 different Virtual Reality and QT movies, I found this book (and the free tools and interactive sprites for my use) to be invaluable. I reccommend it without hestitation. Luke Wonderly, Web master - vrbakersfield.com


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