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Net Gains (Jan 07, 97) |
The Internet : A Knowledge Odyssey, is the first Internet
related CD - ROM that I've come across that is fun to use, easy
to navigate, and is one helluva tutor. The CD - ROM - a
MindQ Product ( http://www.mindq.com ) is available in
two editions - the Home Edition & the Business Edition. The
Home edition is customised to the home user, catering more to
the use of the Internet at home. It deals with topics like Parents
& Child, Personal Finance, Culture, Entertainment, and Travel.
The Business edition, on the other hand, focuses more on the Internet
from the point of view of how it can be used to further business.
There is also an HTML editor - HTML Assistant, that takes you
step by step through the process of creating a home page and a
web site for your business.
The most noticeable feature of this CD - ROM is that it imitates
the World Wide Web interface. You have hypertext links, audio
clips (all of 954 !), and video clips (25 of them ). The video
clips are interspersed through the CD - ROM and mainly feature
Dr. Vincent Cerf, the first President of the Internet Society,
talking about different issues ranging from the history of the
Net, to what netiquette is all about.
The CD - ROM starts off with a tutorial on how to most effectively
use the features available. You can also customise the CD making
it more personal, by adding your own notes here, highlighting
text there, and book marking topics of interest to you. Once you're
through with that, you get a chance to get to the juicy stuff.
The starting screen (or the "Home" page ) has a graphic
image of 7 options to choose from : Tours, Sites of Interest,
Table of Contents, Frequently Asked Questions, Software, Connect
to the Internet, and a Glossary.
The Guided Tours combine several topics from the Table
of Contents, grouped by focus or area of interest. Tours provide
an overview of a subject while leaving the details for future
browsing. The tours range from a basic introduction to the Internet,
to Browsing the WWW, to a more technical Internet Technology Tour.
Sites of Interest are actually a simulation of a selection
of web sites that relate either to business or home (depending
on the edition) These sites, besides giving you a fairly good
idea of what the Net is like (without having an Internet connection)
also give you a chance to actually visit that site (if you have
a TCP/IP account) by a simple click on the URL.
The Table of Contents has 15 sections for you to choose
from when you have a particular topic you'd like to refer or have
clarified - detailed topics that show you how to create a home
page, or security issues on the Net. Like is customary on the
Net, the CD - ROM has a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
section that answers questions any beginner or first timer would
have. The Software section contains software which you
can install on your computer and use to explore the Internet.
There's a 30 day trial version of GNN's browser, & 10 free
hours of AOL (of no use to us in India ).
As a tutorial, this CD-ROM is amazingly thorough, providing seamless
hyperlinks for the reader to burrow deeper into any topic depending
on his interest level. This multimedia encyclopedia is the solution
to those drab long- drawn books and classes that you see all over
the place promising to teach you all about the Internet. Besides
there's the lure of learning at your own pace - at your own convenience.
To best use this CD -ROM, you'd need a minimum configuration of a 486 with Win 3.1 , SVGA monitor, a 2X or better CD - ROM drive, 2 MB HD space, 8 MB RAM. A sound card would be the icing, though it's not necessary. The Home Edition costs Rs. 2400, while the Business Edition is priced at Rs. 2700.
If this has whetted your knowledge buds, there's great news -
any Bombay Times reader can call up Pioneer InfoVision Technologies
(P) Ltd. - sole representatives for MindQ USA in India - ( 4454648
/4446251 / [email protected] ) and get a FREE
demo of the CD - ROM. And if you're a student, when you decide
to pick up the CD - ROM, you're entitled to a FREE student's shell
account ! Go for it ! !