Rating: 
Summary: read this for beginners use of tcp/ip
Review: i recommend this book to anyone who has a tcp/ip connection and wishes to learn what they can do with it beside access the internet
Rating: 
Summary: more confusing than i thought
Review: I was anxious to read this book, hoping to learn more about IP and networking in general.Some of it hit home, but a lot of it went too far off the technology deep end. I did like the tone of the book, as it kept some very technical things light, but overall, wouldn't recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Book that will satisfy no one
Review: I was looking for a book that explained the nuts and bolts of TCP/IP. Instead the book dedicates six chapters or so to TCP/IP. The rest of it is a superficial treatment that a new computer user might find useful, but that contains little material for the intermediate user (and only intermediate users, not beginners, would even know what TCP/IP is, much less want to read a book titled "TCP/IP for Dummies.") For example, page 197 lists plug-ins for Web browsers, such as Shockwave, Flash, and RealOne Player. Useful for a rank beginner, but not for an intermediate user wanting to learn about TCP/IP. Page 188 explains how to "understand URLs," giving the example of http://www.ibm.com. Again, not very useful for the intermediate user. Meanwhile, there are some TCP/IP basics that are never explained. Ports are not explained very well, and ICMP receives barely a mention. (However, page 64 tells me to "see RFCs 1256 and 2463 for more information on ICMP. This is not at all helpful.) Some of the information is dated or, worse, just plain wrong. One passage suggests that gigabit Ethernet hardware costs a fortune, which is no longer true. Page 298 states that NetBIOS is a "Windows proprietary protocol." It is not; IBM originally developed NetBIOS. Overall, the first few chapters of this book are much too technical for new Internet users, but barely meaty enough for someone who wants to understand TCP/IP in depth. All the remaining chapters are fine for new Internet users, but mere filler for anyone experienced enough to understand what a URL is. This confused mishmash of a book will satisfy no one.
Rating: 
Summary: TCP/IP For Dummies By Dummies
Review: I was mislead by the title. This book doesn't teach us the innards of TCP/IP or its programming or adminstration. Instead, it is a shallow survey of internet applications. All the good info is pointed at (rather than included) in the form of urls. I spent $20 for a bookmarks folder. It should have been called Internet for Chefs. The food analogies were the worst the authors could have chosen to illustrate the concepts. They were distracting, annoying and downright harmful to the text flow. The humor was tasteless, and the constant ridiculing of the "nerdy jargon" gives the feeling of authors who hate the subject matter rather than love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Nuts and bolts of the Internet
Review: I would agree with some of the reviewers, and say that it is wrongly titled as "TCP/IP for Dummies", in fact I was suprised by their title and what I actually read. However, I enjoyed the book because I had also an interest in the workings of the Internet. The authors state in the intro that "The thing about the TCP/IP communcations protcol is that it's fundamentally tied in with networking...So, we've included a bit about networks and The Internet..." So it did not delve into great details of TCP/IP, but then again it is an very introductory text. So it worked well in just the right amount of TCP/IP detail with a great thorough introduction to The Internet technology. As to the accuracy of some statements, I don't know because I am not an expert. However, the writers are not dummies, in fact, when someone can take a difficult and complex subject, and bring it down to a layperson's understanding it often is a sign that they really understand what they are talking about. Furthermore, this is an excellent introduction to the workings of the Internet. I had a very incomplete understanding of the hardware/software of the internet, it helped me greatly to better understand many of the terms that I've heard discussed in techie circles. True, the dinner plate allegory did not help at all, but when they discussed matters in a more simple technical way, it was great. I give it a **** four-star because although the organization may not have been perfect and the title is slightly misleading, it still did an excellent job of explaining the internet software/hardware in a thorough fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Nuts and bolts of the Internet
Review: I would agree with some of the reviewers, and say that it is wrongly titled as "TCP/IP for Dummies", in fact I was suprised by their title and what I actually read. However, I enjoyed the book because I had also an interest in the workings of the Internet. The authors state in the intro that "The thing about the TCP/IP communcations protcol is that it's fundamentally tied in with networking...So, we've included a bit about networks and The Internet..." So it did not delve into great details of TCP/IP, but then again it is an very introductory text. So it worked well in just the right amount of TCP/IP detail with a great thorough introduction to The Internet technology. As to the accuracy of some statements, I don't know because I am not an expert. However, the writers are not dummies, in fact, when someone can take a difficult and complex subject, and bring it down to a layperson's understanding it often is a sign that they really understand what they are talking about. Furthermore, this is an excellent introduction to the workings of the Internet. I had a very incomplete understanding of the hardware/software of the internet, it helped me greatly to better understand many of the terms that I've heard discussed in techie circles. True, the dinner plate allegory did not help at all, but when they discussed matters in a more simple technical way, it was great. I give it a **** four-star because although the organization may not have been perfect and the title is slightly misleading, it still did an excellent job of explaining the internet software/hardware in a thorough fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Good introduction for beginners, not easy to digest
Review: Let me start with the good news: This book is packed with information regarding TCP/IP. All of the issues are in here: all the various protocols/support programs related to TCP/IP for both Windows and Unix/Linux. And a lot of it is written in the famous light-hearted dummies-style that keeps the book relatively easy going. What irks me is the organization of the book. Some of it is VERY basic (explaining client/server for example). In contrast, other parts go into fine detail, containing exhaustive lists for example. Overall the book left a somewhat unorganized impression, a bit of a gathering of loosely connected issues in no particular order. For me, this made it diffcult to "digest" the book and remember the info in it. In summary, if you are looking for a book that will allow a beginner to look up some of the jargon, this book is not a bad choice. For an introductory or advanced textbook, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and informative
Review: Overall, I learnt a lot from this book about a host of things I didn't know before but still not absolutely sure how a protocol works. The analogies are a little hard to bear at times and are annoying more than anything. The books assumes zero knowledge of the reader from the start and does much to educate in other areas.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Presents the overall picture in a highly entertaining way.
Rating:
Summary: Another angle for TCP/IP study
Review: TCP/IP for Dummies is pretty slim on content - but due to the fact that most TCP/IP books on the market seem to be missing something I picked it up and was nicely suprised. If you are totally confused with TCP/IP this book may help loosen you up. Don't expect it to help you manage an enterprise network or pass your MCSE exam. The Dummies TCP/IP Flashcards work well in conjuction with Transcenders - but those are additional products, not included with this particular title.
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