New Internet Book Available

        By Cynthia Koepp, Benchmarks Assistant Editor (koepp@cc1.unt.edu)

        Now available for checkout at the ISB library: Directory of Directories on the Internet: A Guide to Information Sources by Gregory B. Newby, published by Meckler. The author describes it as:

        a book to help you to identify some of the guideposts on the Internet and the relations among different resources. It is aimed at all Internet users, old and new. For newer networkers, this book offers an overview of what's out there, and a way to focus in on some of the discussion forums and information services most likely to meet their needs. For a more experienced networker, this book is a reference tool for finding those resources that the user can remember seeing somewhere, but can't remember where .

        If you have ever rooted around your work area for a particular scrap and scribble ( Where is that info about the Rick Gates' Internet Hunt? ), you probably can relate to Newby's last comment!

        This book discusses such diverse Internet topics as Gopher, WorldWideWeb (WWW) and Netiquette, but it's a much slimmer volume than The Whole Internet (which Newby mentions in the chapter covering books about the Internet). There is also a chapter covering books on the Internet. Directory of Directories on the Internet gives you a lot less detail about FTP, for example, and less of an idea of the exact operating system commands you may need to learn.

        Okay, so maybe you still will have to contend with scraps and scribbles although it's amazing how few commands you really have to learn in order to successfully use FTP, for example, and using a program like Gopher (which can access FTP sites) could make your work even easier.

        .

        A really nice feature of Directory of Directories on the Internet is the inclusion of information such as:

        • An idea of an item's revision status (when/how often/ever)
        • Copyright restrictions
        • Who might find this resource useful
        • Whether you need to be using a particular operating system (e.g. UNIX)
        • A sample entry. If something from the sample catches your eye, it's likely you'd find more good stuff from that source.

        This book really is an excellent place to start. For example, if you are feeling information overloaded and you just want to know where it is on the Internet that you can find the directory containing all past Internet Hunt Questions and Answers, its in here. The book is indexed by: Resource Type; Internet Address; Author, Maintainer, or Supplier; and Subject.



        Previous Article <== ==> Next Article

        If you have problems or questions about this server, please contact us as soon as possible. You can send mail to the following address: www@unt.edu