This compact and comprehensive book systematically unveils what resolute users of the new Windows XP operating system will find interesting and useful, with little-known details, utility programs, and configuration settings all captured in a consistent reference format.A hands-on guide, Windows XP in a Nutshell cuts through the hype and gives practical details you can use every day. It's written by David A. Karp, the best-selling author whose no-nonsense "Annoyances" books and web site (Annoyances.org) have helped thousands of users solve problems and improve their experience with Windows®. The co-author is none other than Tim O'Reilly, founder of O'Reilly & Associates, whose books have revolutionized computer book publishing with their commonsense approach and depth of detail.At the heart of the book is a 200-plus-page reference section titled "Windows XP Applications and Tools," Packed with numerous tips and tricks, while warning of potential pitfalls, Windows XP in a Nutshell enables anyone to get the most out of all the resources available in XP.
It did what I needed it to do, which was provide survival tools for someone (me) who hadn't touched a Microsoft OS in 10+ years.
This is not really the sort of book that's intended to be read in a linear fashion, any more than the dictionary is. Nonetheless, some reference works have such engaging content that they can profitably perused in a linear fashion. (The occasional rare soul does that with the Encyclopedia Britannica, for instance.)
This is not one of those books. I don't blame Karp, though. There is a reason O'Reilly has chosen ugly toads as their mascots for their titles on Microsoft operating systems.
I dare not venture whether I would be able to make it straight through Linux in a Nutshell (my OS of preference), either. The latest edition of that title is a real doorstop.