Computer Book Reviews

As someone now well into my geezerhood, I can certainly sympathize with the masses of mature computer users who struggle every day to get their electronic nemesis to behave. Few books cut through the haze of jargon as well as Aaron Rosenzweig has in this book.

While written for the less-than-techno-savvy, the book strives to keep up to date with the most popular uses for computers by adults - word processing, EMail and web surfing. He covers the things that give older Macintosh users the most trouble - saving files, computer viruses, and system settings and does it without condescending or needless humor. Just straight information presented in a clear, accessible manner that any computer user would welcome when they're having trouble understanding the way their computer works. Its a great reference book that I strongly recommend.

This is an introduction to collecting evidence from computers. The book lays out the foundation of the legal principles of evidence - from gathering evidence properly to chain of custody issues. It goes on to discuss the technical issues of how forensic professionals go about examining computers for evidence. This would be a good choice for police cadets or law students looking for a beginner's reference on computer-based evidence. Both the legal profession and the science of computer forensics are far too complex to be completely covered in a single book, and the author does not claim to try. But what you do get is an excellent introduction to the field.

The growing popularity of Linux, combined with the increasing number of businesses turning to Windows 2000 for security and reliability, have greatly increased the number of users seeking to run multiple operating systems on a single PC. VMWare Workstation provides the user with a platform to do just that. This is truly a handbook that is simple enough for new users to be able to install and effectively use VMWare Workstation (a sample version is included on the CD-ROM), and goes on to provide instruction on using the essential functions of this amazing piece of software. Filled with lots of illustrations, its a step-by-step guide to getting the most out of VMWare Workstation version 5.

I don't work in C, but this is the sort of book I always like to have. Its 100 tips on using the C++ standard library - which will certainly help you get the most out of the tools built into the language. Tips on algorithms, text processing, user interface issues and more, all with tons of sample code which is also on the included CD-ROM. You can't go too far wrong with computer books like this.

Its a toybox for game enthusiasts. James Darby shows you how to create games using the popular programming platform The Game Factory. A trial version is included on the CD-ROM so you can ty your hand. 2D and 3D modeling are demonstrated, along with lots of examples. You don't need to be a whiz at programming languages. Just follow the examples and you'll be making your own games in no time.

For the more advanced programming, Open Source Game Programming takes you through using some great open source tools like KDE and Qt. You'll learn how to use both 2D and 3D tools for different operating systems, from Windows to Linux and Mac OS as well. The authors give you the basis for creating sophisticated games that don't require proprietary software, so you can work on a shoestring budget and not have to limit your efforts to games as simple as PacMan. The CD-ROM includes lots of the tools, and several sample games to show you the possibilities. What impressed me most was that the illustrations included flow charts, as opposed to the common practice of filling pages with screen shots. You won't be sorry you bought this excellent book on computer game programming.