Managing Internet Information Services, by Cricket Liu, Jerry Peek, Russ Jones, Bryan Buus, and Adrian Nye, Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly & Associates, 1994. 630~. $29.95. ISBN I-56592-062-7.

With an ever increasing need for sensible information to answer questions about creating and managing electronic resources on the Internet, one need no look further than Munag- ing Internet Information Services. The authors adopt a team approach to providing information and covering all of the major Internet services: FTP archives, gophers, World Wide Web (WWW), discussion lists, and so forth. They manage to present, in a clear and coherent manner, most of the information needed to establish and maintain major electronic services.

The discussion covers everything from setup to suggestions for making information more understandable through better authoring techniques. Most of the current utilities and browsers are discussed and evaluated as to their usefulness. A surprising omission to the lengthy list of well-known WWW browsers was Cello, however.

A particularly nice addition is the inclusion of electronic addresses for much of the software discussed. Discussion groups, newsgroups, and sites for frequently asked questions are referenced in an appendix. Internet addresses for examples of well-known and frequently visited services are also given.

If there is a weakness to the work, as with most other works on developing electronic resources for end-users, it is the treat- ment of the legal issues surrounding electronic publishing. Although the last two chapters of the book cover this topic in a general manner, one may wish to supplement the coverage with additional material.

Any work of this nature will tend to date quickly as new ser- vices become available. However, for a solid, reliable discus- sion on current means of producing workable services for the Internet, this volume deserves purchase and placement on the desk of those responsible for overseeing the development of servers.-Gregory Curtis, Reference Librarian, University of Maine at Presque Isle, Library, 181 Main St., Presque Isle, ME 04769.

The MOSAIC Navigator: The Essential Guide to the Internet Interface, by Paul Gilster. New York: Wiley & Sons, 1995. 243~. $16.95. ISBN 0-471-11336-O.

Gilster captures the essence of the mouse-driven, point and shoot, drop-down graphical menu user interface known as MOSAIC in this well-written, easy-to-read guide. The text aims at the beginning Internet explorer, perhaps one that has used the Internet via other user interfaces and search tools such as Gopher, Veronica, Archie, and WAIS. The major difference is that MOSAIC is a client software program employing a graph- ical approach to accessing “marked up” digital information available on the World Wide Web (WWW). Gilster puts ample effort into explaining terms and concepts associated with net- worked information sources and services in a simple but effec- tive fashion. For example, page 26 explains why the user must be directly on the Internet (one must have an IP address) to use MOSAIC to access the WWW.

While written primarily for the “at home” user with access to the WWW via telephone and a modem, the book also offers insights into the performance of the direct-connect, wider-band- width options. The text specifically addresses the National Cen- ter for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) version of

MOSAIC, which is continually being improved by its develop- ers. The informative content of the book is adaptable to all ver- sions of NCSA MOSAIC, and even extends to future versions of that product and to commercial variants, including the popu- lar Netscape offering from MOSAIC Communications Corpo- ration. The text is written and illustrated primarily using the DOS/Windows perspective, but Gilster offers numerous tips for Mac users as well.

This text includes exemplary screen examples offering explanatory text, and a healthy dose of “go and try it yourself’ suggestions. The author’s writing style is truly infectious and the reader is empowered to be “armed and dangerous” as the chapters unfold.

The content quickly moves from a historical narrative of the graphical client to basic connectivity considerations and to the actual downloading and installation of MOSAIC under either Microsoft Windows or the Macintosh platform. A brief but thorough introduction to the development of the WWW, and the information sources capable of being accessed by MOSAIC, precedes the “nuts and bolts” of working with MOSAIC to explore the WWW. Chapter 8 offers a well-crafted explanation on fine-tuning MOSAIC for personal use. Chapters 9 and 10 offer visions of the future and conclude with tips for exploring interesting sites favored by the author.

This book is highly recommended for the first time explorers of the WWW, whether they be Macintosh or DOS/Windows users. As with other Gilster-authored books, the writing style is user-oriented, the facts accurate, and the results self-satisfying. Seasoned explorers will find excellent tips on customizing MOSAIC for personal use, on authoring in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and on places to travel on the WWW. This book is a “must” for the shelves of the library in the technology applications section.- Thomas R. Kochtanek, Acting Dean, School of Library and Information Science, University of Missouri, 104 Stewart Hall, Columbia, MO 65211.

The Windows Internet Tour Guide: Cruising the Internet the Easy Way, by Michael Fraase. Chapel Hill, NC: Ventura Press, 1994. 344~. (Includes 3.5” disk). $24.95. ISBN 1-56604- 081-7.

Fraase has written several books, including the popular The Mac Internet Tour Guide (Ventura Press, 1993) and The PC Internet Tour Guide (Ventura Press, 1994). He knows the Inter- net and how to write about it, but acknowledges that he “didn’t want to do this book.” He is “a Mac user and was brought kick- ing and screaming into the world of MS-DOS and Windows.” Nevertheless, his Mac background does service him well here. This book is very well produced and contains high quality graphics and sample screens. Fraase’s style is direct and easy- to-follow, but not condescending. This book will provide Win- dows users who are Internet newbies with a highly readable introduction to some of the net’s major resources. In addition, Windows-based, intermediate net-navigators may find it a somewhat useful (albeit selective) reference guide.

The book has one glaring shortcoming. Its total coverage of the World Wide Web, the Internet’s fastest-growing and most promising resource, is one punchy paragraph. The author is not really at fault, however. The book was written in 1993 when the Web was still in its infancy. But not to worry, the publisher has taken care of that. It is possible to purchase Fraase’s book in a shrink-wrapped “bundle” that includes Gareth Branwyn’s short, but quite useful, book, Mosaic Quick Tour for Windows (Ven-

406 The Journal of Academic Librarianship