operating systems

After reading some of the other reviews I did not want to take the chance of ordering this book online, so I went in to the store to check it out for myself. I ended up not buying this book. The (negative) reviewers were right on. This book's format goes something like this: "To open a file follow these steps: Step 1 click "File". Step 2 click "Open".... ". It goes on and on like this. Many pages are wasted handholding the reader through steps that are obvious just by looking at the screen. I was hoping for something that would actually map out and explain how Small Business Server 2003 can be set up to efficiently run a small business (i.e. mine) and take the computing hassle off my hands. I implore these authors to go back and rewrite this book from scratch with the time-pressed small business owner in mind.

Don't listen to the sourpusses, I don't believe they can't have read this useful and well-written book. It's for consultants AND do-it-yourselfers. The whole point of SBS is to let the wizards do their thing -- this book tells you what's going on behind the wizards and how to use them to your advantage. The first reviewer says the "book does not address...DNS and XP Pro issue, the Nov 24 Sharepoint issue" which is just not true. He can't have even looked in the index!
The first part of the book is about planning and anyone wgho dismisses that as unimportant, is not in touch with reality. Planning is where most OS books are weak but not this one.
If you're considering SBS for your business, this is the book to get. It will take you through the entire process from planning to installation to configuration and on to more advanced features. Buy it, read it, you'll be glad you did.

Would you buy this book if its title were the one above? Or how about: "Dummies Guide to SBS Server 2003", or even "Learn SBS Server 2003 in 24 Hours"?

With the advent of Small Business Server 2003 and the brand new underlying technologies found in Windows Server 2003, IIS 6.0, Exchange Server 2003, Sharepoint Services, and the .NET Framework, it was exciting for me to see this book was due for release in March, which later was pushed to April. I waited a long time to get it. To my great disappointment, the title of the book does not at all reflect the true substance in its contents. Part 1 of the book is all about basic understanding of Operating Systems and Basic Networks, which does nothing to shine a new light on the subject. So, excitedly, you rush through it to get to Part 2 of the book. "Aha!" you say to yourself: "Now we will learn all about this brand new system". However, you will find nothing more that a somewhat more-in-depth explanation of the SBS 2003 Wizards underlying the system, lots of information readily found in the Help files of the Operating System and its supporting systems. Indeed, the Hardcover format is impressive as the previous review talks about, and the book's thickness would have been a lot thinner if it were compiled into ONLY necessary information.