One of
my favorite chapters can be found in Appendix C. It's titled "Where'd It Go?" and
deals with many of the feature and function differences
between Windows XP and Vista. If you're a relatively experienced
XP user who is in the midst of or just completing an upgrade
to Vista, read this first to avoid wasting a lot of time
looking for things that have been moved, changed or which
simply don't exist in Vista.
What separates Windows
Vista—The
Missing Manual from other, similar publications is the
rhythm, style and depth that Pogue achieves when walking through configuration
dialogs and the large array of functions, programs and integrated
utilities in Vista. As always in these situations, it's supremely
important to explain why a thing might be done, rather that just explaining
how it is done. That's the key to Pogue's writing style
too. Because he takes great pains to briefly explain value, readers
aren't subsequently burdened with information they really don't have
to retain. Smart writers impress me, and Pogue is very good indeed.
He has succeeded in making his analysis and explanations of a massive
and difficult subject entertaining, accessible, and above all else,
useful.
Microsoft has employed
hundreds or thousands of talented programmers to design and develop
Windows Vista and if you think that such a massive undertaking could
ever be fully intuitive for the vast majority of end users you'd be
wrong. There are certainly large portions of the Vista Desktop which
are easily navigable. The operating system is also just as clearly
designed to channel users in the right directions in order to help
accomplish specific tasks and interests. But the language, jargon
and technical knowledge with which the operating system designers
inform the product, too often leave users staring at a program, dialog
box or configuration window without comprehension. If you have Windows
Vista—The
Missing Manual sitting on a bookshelf nearby, you'll be
able to quickly use the Table of Contents or the Index
to look up whatever it is that has caused the frown on your face.
Cons: At 829 pages, I expected to find a few specific Windows
Registry tidbits for the modders and system builders out
there. Essentially though, Pogue seems to have followed Microsoft's
advice about not futzing with the Registry. Although Vista
provides a large number of customization controls for us
to play with, the Registry is still the place to go for deep
configuration and operating environment control. Ignore this
complaint if you're not a modder or a system builder. If
you can't live without extensive operating system modding,
you'll just have to buy another book.
Pros: Windows Vista—The Missing Manual targets a huge
audience and meets all expectations. In fact (and despite
the 'Con' above), the book contains so much well organized
detail that I'd be surprised if it wasn't already sitting
on many office shelves at Microsoft. I was surprised to continually
come across valuable configuration and usability information
that I had never fully thought out, relegating it to the
edge of my understanding. After all, Windows Vista is even
larger and more complex than its predecessors and is consequently
too vast to be fully intuitive to use. For this reason alone,
the tag line on the front cover, "The book that should
have been in the box", is absolutely accurate. There
are thousands (if not millions) of Windows Vista users
who are frustrated by the Windows online help system (F1)
as they work their way through various configurations and
system problems. David Pogue's sense of purpose, clarity
and entertainment is well balanced and provides a superb
foundation for learning, reference and above all else,
thorough control and understanding of Windows Vista. The
large Table of Contents and detailed Index are both useful
for quickly locating information about specific items,
issues, configurations and problems. Truly useful for legions
of beginner, intermediate and advanced users of Windows
Vista. Highly recommended.