PLENTY of people have access to the Internet, and will tell anyone prepared to listen about the latest nugget they have found there. But for the large majority; the problem is still how to get started. Having the hardware and software needed for electronic mail is not enough. Some e-mail systems, such as Telecom Gold, give no direct access to the Internet. CompuServe still gives only partial access.
So there really is a need for a one-stop startup kit that provides all the necessary software, a telephone number for your modem to dial, and instructions simple enough to allow a beginner to get connected.
Internet Direct Connect Kit by Peter John Harrison (IDG Books Worldwide, pp 283, 拢28.99 pbk) looks promising, with its floppy disc of PC software. The cover promises: 鈥淥ver 200 hours of Free Internet Access鈥� with the reassurance that it is 鈥淣ot a sampler鈥�. 鈥淕et connected to the Net now 鈥� run the enclosed batch file,鈥� says the blurb.
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Anyone who interprets this as delivering a ready-made start-up kit will be sorely disappointed. The command given to run the batch file on the floppy disc is wrong, but even if you overcome this silly obstacle you still don鈥檛 get a connection. The second chapter, 鈥淔inding an Internet provider鈥�, also promises more than it delivers. 鈥淐heck your local library,鈥� it suggests, and 鈥淪ee Appendix A鈥�. The appendix lists firms that will, for a fee of at least 拢10 pounds, provide access to the Net. Only two of them are in Britain. But I thought that with this book, I had access 鈥�
Net users may find this a useful resource. A 鈥渄irect connect kit鈥�, it is not. Beginners beware.