Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great reading--get this book!!
Comment: I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! But it sounds to me from reading a few other comments here that the computer geeks among us want to be sure that they keep this information out of the hands of people like me. Sure, you can find holes in any book. But Wallace Wang wanted to make sure that we got the information. Thanks Wallace. I now know a lot more about the computer underground than I ever did and it's a lot more interesting than what I've seen in the movies! So hands off guys!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: This is the ONLY book I have ever returned for a refund!
Comment: I would love to say that this was an excellent, well written guide to the internet.Unfortunately, after just the first two chapters (at which point I gave up and returned the book), it became obvious that the writer (who appears to have excellent credentials including writing for BOARDWATCH magazine) just threw this together with no thought whatsoever. Examples: *He talks about free E-mail (such as Juno) then totally skips over web based free email (Mailexcite, USA.net, Yahoo, etc) when talking about accessing e-mail from cyber cafes and the like. In fact, he states on pages 64-65 that receiving e-mail at cyber cafes is not possible! And this book was (allegedly) written in June '98 at the height of the spree to put these free e-mail sites up. *Mo mention of access to the web via the public library system (though local freenets are mentioned). *A discussion on obtaining upgrades of software by trading in old versions (obtained from outlets that specialize in outdated versions) plus a modest charge failed to point out that those outdated versions may be more than adequate for the user on a budget (I'm still running some DOS programs for cryin' out loud). Finally, I tried to contact the author and found that there is no e-mail address in the book. A usenet search (dejanews) using his name ironically came back with a similar recent complaint from some people who wanted to complain about a recent BOARDWATCH article. I at least have the guts to take any flames/spam for =my= comments... It was obvious that this was thrown together in hours for a fast buck. Unfortunate, because a well written book of this type is needed. So save your bucks. This book is a dog.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not bad for beginners...
Comment: Wang does a good job of covering some of the more unusual aspects of the internet, from the hate group sites to encryption, but this isn't anything that someone who's been around a bit doesn't already know. His objective standpoint on the topics does him credit, however, as he doesn't voice an opinion, but lets the reader decide for him/herself. An interesting read overall, but borrow the book from a friend if you can.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Waste of money
Comment: This book was the worst book of all I have read from it is a bunch of hoopla. If you have any knowledge of computer networks or security this book is a waste of two days reading. I feel it is just to give new users a scare about the use of the internet. I should of seen the books that Wallace Wang wrote before are not for the technical inclined but more for Maw and Paw Kettle and their first computer. What I am saying is don't waste the time or money on this book...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good book to read with a few things to learn
Comment: This book won't turn you into a hack. However, it's a good book to understand some of the things hackers know. If you don't know much about computer/internet security and want a book to give you a better understanding of it, then you'll like this book. It also has some nice references to sites on the web so you can learn more.
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