Press releases

Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual -The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

Press release: November 29, 2000

Sebastopol, CA--Question: What measures 9" x 7", weighs less than 2 pounds, helps run your new Windows 2000 Pro, but doesn't come in the box?

Answer: The Missing Manual.

Apple does it. Adobe does it. Netscape and Microsoft do it. Almost every major software company, in fact, sells increasingly sophisticated software without a printed manual. Instead, even after paying $400 for the software, you're expected to learn these complex programs by reading electronic help screens. But online help is no substitute for a real manual. You can't read online help in bed, underline something, or flip between pages. And most online help lacks illustrations, page numbers, and tutorial examples.

According to Microsoft, Windows 2000 Pro combines the friendly interface of Windows 98 with the famous stability of Windows NT. Windows 2000, the successor to NT, introduces many technologies that weren't available in NT, including Plug-and-Play, support for USB devices, power management features, and more. It's 25% faster than Windows 98 and three times as stable. Unfortunately, despite all the enhancements, Microsoft forgot to address one of NT's most glaring omissions: Windows 2000 doesn't include a printed user manual.

In Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual, best-selling Windows NT author Sharon Crawford provides the friendly, authoritative book that should have been in the box. It's the ideal (and desperately needed) user guide for the world's most popular corporate operating system.

"I wrote the book because the idea of supplying the 'Missing Manual' was irresistible," says Crawford. "I saw it as a chance to go beyond the usual 'to do this, click that' material of beginners books. I wanted to offer real insight into the premises behind Windows so the reader could not only get quick answers but also figure out answers on his or her own."

"Here's the operating system that greets hundreds of thousands of people at work each day, with not a single page of instructions--nothing but some unbelievably geeky, un-illustrated online help screens," says David Pogue, creator of the "Missing Manual Series." "Creating a proper user manual for Windows 2000 Pro was one of the most important Missing Manual missions, and I'm thrilled that Sharon Crawford has met the challenge."

Online Resources:

  • David Pogue interviews David Pogue about the Missing Manual Series.

  • More information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bios, and samples.

  • A cover graphic in jpeg format.

Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual
By Sharon Crawford
December 2000
ISBN 0-596-00010-3, 450 pages, $19.95
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938

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