1999 Canadian Internet Handbook

Charles R. Crawford, a former associate professor of computer science at
York University, is a computer-programming and mathematics consultant.

Carroll and Broadhead have published the Canadian Internet Handbook
annually since 1994. This resource for users of the Internet describes
currently available software that improves or expands use of the
Internet, principally the World Wide Web. Subjects include evaluating
your Web site, adding audio and video content to your site, maintaining
security on your computer, speeding up information gathering from the
Web, and organizing information from the Web.

The focus of the handbook is on techniques implemented through
software. But since the supply of software is constantly changing and
expanding, the handbook reads like an encyclopedia of software. For
example, the section headed “Capturing and Archiving Web pages”
describes how to get a copy of one or more Web Pages onto your own disc
file. In this description, certain programs are mentioned; at the end of
the section, there is a list of several different Web sites where these
programs and others are available. Page references to the programs are
also listed in the index to the handbook. The programs listed deal with
a wide variety of problems, from assessing the organization of a Web
site to copying files from one computer to another. Although the authors
clearly have favorites in each category, their lists always provide
several choices.

The 1999 Canadian Internet Directory and Research Guide is a reference
work for researchers. The guide explains how to do research on the Web,
with chapters on search engines, search strategies, and pay-per-use
databases. The directory is organized and formatted like the Yellow
Pages, with sites listed under subject categories and a table of
contents listing each subject heading. Finally, there is an index for
the combined directory and guide. According to the authors, the
directory is focused almost exclusively on resources with Canadian
content. Beyond that, they chose sites that “provide interesting,
useful, or regularly updated information.” They also seem to have
tried to choose sites from widely different subject areas. For example,
Winnipeg residents can buy food at the “Electronic Grocer,” while
anyone can get tips on flossing and brushing teeth at “The Wisdom
Tooth.”