![[Bytes Link logo]](../../../cgif/bytelnk2.gif)
Microsoft Office 2000 at a Glance Library
by Review by Anita Plutchik, Ph.D. Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. www.spcug.org - January 14, 2000 at 15:57:14:
This really is a wonderful little “library” from Microsoft Press. It consists of four separate volumes covering the four major programs of the new Microsoft Office Suite. These are: Word 2000, Excel 2000, Outlook 2000, and Access 2000. They are soft-covered books packaged nicely in a cardboard holder. I found this to be very convenient using one of the books. You didn’t have to manage a huge volume; you could more easily handle it and even keep it open in a book holder. The shape of the book is horizontal; each manual is nine inches wide and seven inches high. This makes it easy to put on your lap while using it, something I found comfortable and don’t usually do.The set is referred to as a Visual Reference. It is that indeed. Every page has lots of diagrams with descriptions of all the dialog boxes. I was impressed by the editorial style, easy to read and printed with some color. The diagrams are in blue as well as black, white and grey, making the instructions very clear to follow. It is definitely a task-oriented reference guide.
The books vary in size with Word being the largest containing 336 pages. Access has 275 pages, Excel has 273 and Outlook has 205. I mention this specifically because these volumes are available individually. Having used primarily the very large guide books, which I never thought of as cumber-some until now, I must say it’s a relief to use manageable size manuals. Also, the smaller books don’t make you feel so overwhelmed before you even look up something.
The language used is easy to follow. As the publisher claims, it is written in plain English and not in jargon or computerese. No single task in the book takes up more than two pages and it does indeed meet the claim that by using it you can get the most from the program with the least amount of time and effort. Sometimes you will be referred to another section for a more comprehensive discussion or for enhancing your work further.
The book does give you the easiest was of performing tasks. Anyone who is knowledgeable about word processors knows that there are always multiple ways of doing any tasks. We all have our favorites, but our favorites might not always be the easiest or the quickest. We often don’t think about changing if something works well. “If it’s not broken; don’t fix it.” I found lots of tips that I have started to use. I am pleased to have found an easier way to scan material into Word.
The three out of four manuals that I went through most carefully where those for Word, Excel and Access. They seems comparable to me in quality to each other and to the manual for Outlook. They are all published in identical formats, and comparable detail. I spent the most time with Word as I use this part of the office suite more than I do the others. I have only one question which I did not find addressed in the Word guide. However, when browsing competitive books I didn’t find the answer in any of them. I would highly recommend this Microsoft Office 2000 At a Glance Library. Although it is expensive compared to the very comprehensive, one volume guides, it is comparable to buying four of the smaller ones. Clearly, for anyone who is only interested in one part of the Microsoft suite, buying the individual volume is the more reasonable way to go.
Editors and Authors: Jerry Joyce, Marianne Moon and Stephen L. Nelson; List Price: $71.99; Mail Order/Street: $57.50; Publisher: Microsoft Press; ISBN: 0-7356-0759-1; Published, 1999. :
Copyright 2000. This article is from the January 2000 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889.
![[------STRIPE-----]](../../../cgif/str1.gif){kind=small}
Site Disclaimer Suggestions? E-Mail to webmaster@noccc.org