Book Review of:
Windows 98 In A Nutshell 
Desktop Quick Reference 

I would agree to classify the 620 page book as a desktop reference handbook as opposed to a detailed step-by-step guide.  It is for serious users of Win 98 SE (second edition) and is not cutesy like the series for dummies nor is it a pictorial guide to the Win 98 environment like you would find in 3^rd party books from publishers like Que.  The authors characterize Win 98 as a platform with a set of capabilities rather than a single, stable product with a fixed set of features.  You may have noticed this when viewing the Desktop configurations of your friends and neighbors. Each vendor seems to choose different items to customize their setup. In this regard, Nutshell provides the information you need to tap into all of Win 98, not just those that come configured out of the box. 

Nutshell is organized in four parts.  First is what they call the Lay of the Land to give you a big picture of Windows 98.  The three chapters cover using the system an overview of new features and an exhaustive task index to help you find things in a graphical user interface.  The second part is an alphabetical reference with screen shots, of the major elements in Windows 98.  Part three takes you Under the Hood.  The authors compare this section with the quote, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.  Teach a man to how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."  Lastly, part four contains appendices of various quick reference lists. 

The book contains an extensive ten page Table of Contents and an exhaustive 26-page index.  Before I started my review, I found myself needing some information on how-to-do one task or another.  I went to the index and immediately found my answer.  For example I wanted to capture a portion of my screen to send via e-mail to a friend.  I was always led to believe that print screen went out when the DOS environment was put on the shelf with the horse and buggy.  Not so, I was told by a colleague.  I let my fingers flip through the index and immediately pasted my selection into my document.  I was impressed but, then again, I’m rather easily impressed. 

This is not the kind of book one would curl up with and read by the fire.  Rather, as it’s called, it is a quick reference to find out how-to-do something.  I did, however, on several occasions, find myself reading on and on and on thru a topic.  In one case, I had a question about Outlook Express.  I found my answer and the book led me on like a treasure hunt. I read several more pages and found several more answers to questions I hadn’t thought of yet. 

Another event that led to a serious reading session concerned a button that appeared on my desktop after installing a program.  As most of you know, some applications take over and install things where they want you to have them as opposed to letting you choose what and where things go.  This may be a good thing for those of us who don’t care how cluttered their system becomes.  Those are the folks who want to load-n-go!  I don’t find a need for many quick launch features unless it is a program I use very often.  I went to the topic I was looking for and found it in a section called appropriately, Start Menu Programs.  One thing led me to another and some 125 pages later, I had exhausted all features of the section on Start Menu Programs and Other Graphical Applications.  I learned many things but more importantly, I came away with a new appreciation that the old DOS command line entries did not die with the graphical interface of Windows.  In this section, I found where this book stresses many features that are better and more easily reached using start | run – (command line) sequences rather than navigating through the Windows environment.  For example, if you wanted to run the system file checker, two options are listed.  You can launch it by going to Start | Run | (SFC) or you can take a lot longer and launch it by choosing start | programs | accessories | system tools | system information | tools menu | system file checker.  It’s a no-brainer to decide which way you ought to go. 

Nutshell also provides an opportunity to those who choose to live on the edge, to delve into areas the meek dare not go.  One section describes a host of Hidden Gems that are buried on the Win 98 CD-ROM.  Another is the Windows Script Host that lets you automate windows-based graphical applications using powerful full-featured scripting languages.  A section on Batch Files brings back a lot of memories of DOS days past.  Little did we know that batch files are alive, well, and useful in the Win 98 graphical environment.  Windows Start-up is a great place to explore if you often wonder what is going on during the long, long pause between the moment you turn your computer on and when it alerts you that you may go to work.  You can use this section to take a trip inside the start-up process.  Those who are not faint at heart can even interact with the process and make changes to it.  As they say on TV, Don’t try this at home!

The last area for the true dare-devil in many of us concerns the Registry.  Nutshell tells you that many items in the Registry can be changed with impunity, however, it also states that an enormous potential for harm awaits those who venture into the Registry.  The Registry for those who wonder, contains all the keys and values that makes the system work. Unlike losing your house or car keys, if you lose these keys and you didn’t keep a spare, even a locksmith won’t be able to help you. 

The appendices contain lists of useful information.  Ten pages of keyboard accelerations let you use key combinations to launch, activate, and maneuver Win 98.  Five pages of file name extensions are listed for your use.  The Win 98 System File and Directory Organization is listed as are all special/reserved system characters. 

I find Nutshell a great addition to my bookshelf, although it may spend more time open, on the desk. It is well written and well organized. If you have taken a Computer 101, so to speak, this book is for you. If you are new to the world of Computers, you might want peruse the Dummies series first. If you want pictures to guide you, look elsewhere. If you are comfortable with maneuvering through the labyrinth of pull down menus presented in Win 98, you are indeed ready for Nutshell. 

Nutshell is listed for $24.95. It can be found locally at Borders or Barnes and Noble for the same price. On the Internet, Amazon.com has it for $19.96 plus shipping.