有句老话：“当一切都失败时，请阅读说明。” 不幸的是，如今，软件和硬件(software and hardware)并没有太多的“方向”。帮助文件通常没有帮助，如果您必须阅读计算机上的手册，当计算机无法工作时会发生什么？有几个系列的自助书籍声称可以填补印刷手册消失所留下的空白。它们值得一读吗？有些比其他更好吗？让我们看看在这场书籍之战中，哪个系列更好： Wiley 的For Dummies还是Microsoft Press的 Step by Step ？(Step by Step)
帮助，我们需要帮助！
只要有家用电脑，人们就认为电脑和软件是极其复杂和混乱的。随着制造商增加了更多的功能并且计算机变得越来越流行，更多的人已经确信他们只是无法理解这些东西。
不幸的是，制造商几乎放弃了他们过去提供的印刷手册。作者和出版商已经介入以填补这一空白，因此那些想要比“帮助文件(help file)”提供更多解释的困惑消费者现在拥有一个图书馆，里面装满了声称可以解释一切的书籍。
有几个系列书籍可以简单地解释事物，其中包括Wiley的For Dummies系列和(For Dummies)Microsoft Press的(Microsoft Press)Step by Step系列。今年我们已经回顾了每个系列的几本书，我想讨论一下两者的优点和缺点，如果有的话。
假人，或步骤？
广受欢迎的For Dummies系列书籍一开始就向那些在面对计算机时感觉就像是傻瓜的人推销其简单、愉快的解释。如今，似乎有一本For Dummies书，几乎涵盖了阳光下的一切——但他们开始解释软件和计算机(software and computers)，而且他们的作者几十年来一直在磨练他们的技能。作者进行了相当多的细节，一些书籍涵盖了相当高级的主题和基础知识。有些书籍附带包含示例文件、代码等的 CD。有些是一个封面下的几本小书的“一体式”合集。
循序渐进(Step by Step)系列较新，这些书一次次采取一切(everything one)措施，名副其实。很明显，作者在写书过程中花费了大量时间来确保他们正确理解这一点。重点是让人们对基础知识充满信心，这样他们就可以使用他们的电脑，而不必担心会搞砸一些事情。分步(Step by Step)指南以全彩出版，并且与For Dummies不同，它有一个在线版本来附送印刷材料，因此购买印刷书籍的人会获得包含在价格中的数字版本，可从Safari Books获得。
他们是如何做到的
For Dummies系列书籍遵循标准格式。它们分为从一开始就解释主题的章节，并用卡通和黑白屏幕截图和线条图进行说明。在大多数情况下，他们假设这本书是由可能有也可能没有基本技能的新人阅读的。作者采取轻松愉快的方法，所有书中都有幽默元素。他们想让他们的读者放心，虽然他们（读者）可能觉得自己像个傻瓜，但他们真的不是。
当这些书籍涵盖一个主题时，例如联网家用计算机，它们有足够的空间来解释基础知识和一些更高级的主题。更长的“一体式”书籍也可以为Microsoft Office 2010等复杂软件提供合理的概述。只有当For Dummies书籍试图将一个大主题塞进一本普通大小的书中(size book)时，它们才会失败。他们的叙事风格占据了一定的篇幅。
Step by Step系列书也遵循标准格式，分章节从头解释其主题，并配有全彩截图和插图。他们还假设这本书是由可能具有或不具有基本技能的新人阅读的，并且通过对基本术语的概述，他们直奔主题。作者专注于清晰和简单的解释，让读者(reader confidence)对该主题的基础知识充满信心，这样他们就能够继续学习更高级的主题，这些主题可能会或可能不会完全包含在书中。
循序渐进的(Step by Step)书籍在涵盖单个主题时也表现良好，但对于更复杂的主题（如Microsoft Office 2010，需要解释多个单独的程序），它们也很平庸。在有限的书本空间(book space)里，只有这么多可以充分解释的东西。
虽然For Dummies书籍更像是有人在您旁边(someone beside)解释事情的运作方式，但Step by Step书籍更像是一位友好、受过高等教育的课堂老师(classroom teacher)，确保您在继续之前知道自己在做什么。当他们专注于一件事时，这两个系列都做得很好，而当他们试图将太多信息塞进太小的书中时就会遇到问题。这些书本身并不小，但有时书的标准长度不足以完成工作。
加号和减号
这两个系列的书都非常擅长用大多数人容易理解的简单术语来解释复杂的主题。它们包括有用的提示和技巧、为需要更多信息的人提供的技术解释以及有关潜在问题区域的警告。For Dummies系列包含更多指向外部资源的链接，可能包含也可能不包含包含文件和代码的 CD（有时需要额外付费）。有For Dummies电子版可用，但您必须单独购买它们，并且它们与DRM（复制保护）(DRM (copy protection))一起分发。Step by Step系列提供对每本书的电子版的在线访问，该电子版包含在原始购买价格中(purchase price). 此外，当您从O'Reilly 商店(O'Reilly Store)购买数字版时，您将获得所有电子书格式的版本，并在书本修订时免费更新。
黑白插图或彩色插图是否更有用由读者决定。彩色插图让读者更好地了解屏幕上的内容，但彩色和黑白图片都显示了所有必要的细节。Step by Step书籍印刷在较重的纸张上以适应彩色印刷(color printing)，但有了电子版，印刷书籍的额外重量应该不是问题。
For Dummies系列轻松闲聊的语气可以让人感觉更自在，但幽默确实占了空间。循序渐进(Step by Step)系列的直截了当的方法无需额外的闲聊就可以直截了当，但读者可能会觉得它更“临床”。每种方法都有其优点和缺点，这一切都归结为个人喜好。这就是为什么我们有时建议您先从图书馆借阅书籍，看看它们是否以对您有意义的方式解释事物。
大小很重要
很明显，这两个系列的书都给了他们的作者一定数量(set number)的页面来填充，因为每个系列中的书的大小是一致的。很明显，每个出版商都为其书籍制定了理想的页数，以及他们的作者为填写这些页而制定的指导方针。在大多数情况下，书的大小与材料非常吻合(material well)。但是，正如我所提到的，即使是把一个大主题的基础知识都塞进一本标准尺寸的书(size book)里，也可以把你的脚趾塞进三码太小的鞋子里。
很明显，Microsoft Press 和 Wiley(Microsoft Press and Wiley)的编辑们在制定内容指南方面付出了很多努力。您可以放心地购买其中一本书，因为它会像该系列中的其他书一样。虽然这意味着喜欢一个系列或另一个系列的读者不会得到任何不愉快的惊喜，但这也意味着作者必须遵循与所有其他作者相同的公式，并且不能对材料采取自己的方法。
书的大小一致也意味着一旦作者涵盖了基础知识，可能就没有太多空间可以写更高级的主题了。这些书的存在是为了解释基础知识，并让读者相信(reader confidence)他或她确实能够理解正在发生的事情，并有信心在本书之外继续前进。这两本书系列(book series)都实现了这一目标。
快速查看(Look)7 个教程(Tutorials)所说的内容
以下是我们在评论中对这些书籍的看法的概述。由于它们是为初学者准备的，我们的“为极客购买”("Buy for Geeks")判决不适用于任何书籍。
这是我们的评论者在书中寻找的内容，以及我们发现的内容。
虽然我们没有提到价格，但这是我们在美国亚马逊(Amazon USA)上找到的。
今年我们已经回顾了这两个系列的很多书。如您所见，大多数评论大多是正面的，并且我们指出了存在缺陷的地方。我们向初学者推荐了这些书，因为这是这两个系列的重点。他们都在用简单的术语解释事物方面做了合理的工作，并且他们都假设读者是新手，甚至需要解释最基本的概念。
当我们对这些书还没有完全热情时，我们建议将它们带出图书馆，因为它们都包含有用的信息，即使它们不值得购买。甚至唯一一本书的判决是 "Don't bother!"对于绝对初学者来说(absolute beginner)，至少有一些很好的信息。
那么，哪个系列更好呢？
For Dummies系列的强项是写作的欢快、健谈的语气和更广泛的书面信息空间。该系列已经存在了很长时间，Wiley 的编辑人员(Wiley editorial)也花了同样长的时间来制定公式和格式。许多(Many)作者在几年的时间里写了多本书，显然对这些书的工作方式感到很自在，这反过来又使读者的工作变得容易。
Step by Step系列的优点是简单明了的解释、彩色插图以及在印刷版的价格中包含电子书。作者显然知道如何直截了当，一步一步地解释一切(everything one)，这样即使是完全的初学者也可以快速建立信心。这些书是Microsoft Press的产品，因此对解释(Microsoft Press)Microsoft产品的认真关注必须是首屈一指的。
我更喜欢一个系列而不是另一个系列吗？并不真地。每个都有它的位置。我赞扬了这两个系列的书籍处理复杂主题的方式，并且我已经降低了它们的等级，因为它们在这里和那里错过了这条船。作为一个视觉学习者，我欣赏大量的插图，我喜欢那些懂得如何为初学者解释事物而不居高临下或假设每个人都已经知道一切的作者。尽管我不是初学者，但我在我阅读的每一本书中都学到了一些新东西。
和我们谈谈！
您喜欢For Dummies书籍还是Step by Step书籍？一种方法(approach work)比另一种更适合您吗？你希望这两个系列的书做不同的事情吗？我们真的很想听听您的意见，所以请给我们留言并告诉我们您的想法！
The Battle of the Books: For Dummies vs. Step by Step
There's an old saying, "When all elsе fails, read the directions." Unfortunately, software аnd hardwarе don't come with much in the way of "directions" these daуs. Help fileѕ are often not helpful, аnd if you hаve to read the manuаl on your computer, what happens when the computer doesn't work? There are several sеrіes of self-help books that claim to fill the void left by thе disappearаnce of printed manuals. Are they worth reading? Are some better than others? Let's see in this battle of the bоoks, whіch series is better: For Dummies from Wiley or Step by Step from Microsoft Press?
Help, we need help!
People have thought computers and software are hopelessly complex and confusing for as long as home computers have been around. And as the manufacturers have added more features and computers have become more popular, even more people have been convinced they just can't understand this stuff.
Unfortunately, manufacturers have pretty much abandoned the printed manuals they used to supply. Authors and publishers have stepped in to fill the void, so the confused consumer who wants more explanation than a "help file" can provide now has a library full of books that claim to explain it all.
There are several series of books that explain things in simple terms, and among those are the For Dummies series from Wiley and the Step by Step series from Microsoft Press. We've reviewed several books from each series this year, and I'd like to discuss the merits and shortcomings, if any, of both.
Dummies, or Steps?
The highly popular For Dummies series of books got its start by marketing its simple, cheerful explanations to people who felt, well, like dummies when confronted with computers. Nowadays it seems there's a For Dummies book for just about everything under the sun—but they started out explaining software and computers, and their authors have honed their skills over decades. The authors go into a reasonable amount of detail and some books cover fairly advanced topics as well as the basics. Some books come with CDs containing sample files, code and so forth. Some are "all in one" collections of several smaller books under one cover.
The Step by Step series is newer, and the books live up to their name by taking everything one step at a time. It's clear that the authors have spent a lot of time during the book-writing process making sure they get right to the point. The focus is on giving people confidence in the basics so they'll be able to use their computers without being afraid they'll mess something up. Step by Step guides are published in full color and, unlike For Dummies, have an online edition to accompany the printed material, so people who buy the printed book get a digital version included in the price, accessible from Safari Books.
How they do it
The For Dummies series books follow a standard format. They're divided into chapters that explain their subject from the beginning, and they're illustrated with cartoons and black-and-white screenshots and line drawings. For the most part, they assume that the book is being read by a newcomer who may or may not have basic skills. The authors take a lighthearted approach and there is an element of humor in all the books. They want to reassure their readers that while they (the readers) may feel like dummies, they're really not.
When the books cover a single topic, like networking home computers, they have plenty of space to explain both the basics and some more advanced topics. The "all in one" books, which are much longer, can give complex software like Microsoft Office 2010 a reasonable overview as well. It's only when the For Dummies books try to cram a big subject into a regular size book that they fall flat. Their narrative style takes a certain amount of space.
The Step by Step series books also follow a standard format and are divided into chapters that explain their subject from the beginning, and they have full-color screenshots and illustrations. They also assume that the book is being read by a newcomer who may or may not have basic skills, and they get right to the point with an overview of basic terms. The authors focus on clear and simple explanations that give the reader confidence in the basics of the topic, so that they will then be able to move on to more advanced subjects which may or may not be fully included in the book.
The Step by Step books also do well when they cover a single topic, but with more complex topics (like Microsoft Office 2010, for which multiple separate programs need explanations) they too fall flat. There is only so much that can be adequately explained in a finite book space.
While the For Dummies books are more like having someone beside you explaining how things work, the Step by Step books are more like a friendly, highly educated classroom teacher making sure you know what you're doing before you move on. Both series do well when they focus on one thing, and have problems when they try to cram too much information into too small a book. The books themselves are not exactly small, but sometimes the standard length of the book just isn't enough to get the job done.
Plus and Minus
Both series of books do very well at explaining complex topics in simple terms that most people can easily understand. They include helpful hints and tips, technical explanations for people who want more information, and warnings about potential problem areas. The For Dummies series includes more links to outside sources and may or may not include a CD with files and code (sometimes at extra cost). There are For Dummies e-versions available, but you have to buy them separately and they are distributed with DRM (copy protection). The Step by Step series provides online access to an electronic edition of each book, which is included in the original purchase price. Also, when purchasing a digital edition from the O'Reilly Store, you get it in all e-book formats, with free updates when the book is revised.
Whether the black-and-white or color illustrations are more useful is up to the reader to decide. The color illustrations give the reader a better idea of how things look on the screen, but both color and black-and-white pictures show every necessary detail. The Step by Step books are printed on heavier paper to accommodate the color printing, but with the e-version available, the extra weight of the printed book should not be an issue.
The relaxed and chatty tone of the For Dummies series can make people feel more at ease, but the humor does take up space. The straightforward approach of the Step by Step series gets right to the point without extra chit-chat, but it may feel more "clinical" to the reader. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses and it all boils down to individual preferences. That's why we sometimes recommend that you check books out of the library first, to see if they explain things in a way that makes sense to you.
Size does matter
It seems clear that both series of books give their authors a set number of pages to fill, because the books in each series are consistent in size. It's clear that each publisher has worked out the ideal number of pages for its books and the guidelines their authors have for filling those pages. In most cases the size of the book fits the material well. But, as I mentioned, cramming even the basics of a big topic into a standard size book works about as well as trying to cram your toes into a shoe three sizes too small.
It's also clear that the editors at Microsoft Press and Wiley have put a good deal of effort into establishing guidelines for content. You can buy one of these books with confidence that it will be like the others in the series. While this means the reader who prefers one series or the other won't get any unpleasant surprises, it also means that the writers have to follow the same formula as all the other writers and cannot take their own approach to the material.
The consistent size of the books also means that once the writers cover the basics there may not be much space left for more advanced topics. These books exist to explain the basics and to give the reader confidence that he or she can indeed understand what's going on and be confident to move on beyond the book. Both book series accomplish this goal.
Quick Look at What 7 Tutorials has Said
Here's an overview of what we've had to say about these books in our reviews. Since they are for beginners, our "Buy for Geeks" verdict didn't apply to any book.
Here's what our reviewers looked for in the books, and what we found.
Although we didn't mention the prices, here's what we found on Amazon USA.
We have reviewed quite a few books from both series this year. As you can see, most of the reviews have been mostly positive, and where there are flaws we've pointed them out. We've recommended these books for beginners, because that is the focus of both series. They both do a reasonable job of explaining things in simple terms and they both start with the assumption that the reader is a newcomer who will need even the most basic concepts explained.
When we haven't been wholly enthusiastic about the books, we have recommended checking them out of the library, because they all contain useful information even if they are not worth buying. Even the only book whose verdict was "Don't bother!" had at least some good information in it for the absolute beginner.
So, which series is better?
The strong points of the For Dummies series are the cheerful, chatty tone of the writing and the more extensive space given to written information. The series has been around for a long time and the Wiley editorial staff has had an equally long time to work out the formula and the format. Many of the authors have written multiple books over a span of several years and are clearly at ease with the way these books work, which in turn makes things easy for the reader.
The strong points of the Step by Step series are the straightforward explanations, the color illustrations and the inclusion of the e-book in the price of the printed version. The authors obviously know how to get right to the point and explain everything one step at a time, so that even the complete beginner can build up confidence quickly. These books are a product of Microsoft Press, so the careful attention paid to explaining Microsoft products had to be second to none.
Do I prefer one series to the other? Not really. Each has its place. I have praised books from both series for the way they handle complex topics and I've downgraded them for missing the boat here and there. As a visual learner I appreciate plenty of illustrations and I like authors who understand how to explain things for beginners without being condescending or assuming that everyone already knows everything. Even though I am not a beginner I learned something new in every book I reviewed.
Talk to us!
Do you prefer For Dummies books or Step by Step books? Does one approach work better for you than the other? Do you wish either series of books did things differently? We would really like to hear your opinions, so please leave us a comment and tell us what you think!
