我敢肯定，现在我不需要说我有多喜欢简单、简洁、插图精美的指南。（但对于不熟悉我的书评的读者，是的，这就是我喜欢的。） 🙂 因为我是Windows 8的新手，所以我寄予厚望，Windows 8(Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8)非常适合像我这样的人。它是广受好评的系列的一部分，该系列以一致的方式为初学者简化复杂任务而闻名。这本书一开始就声明它是为从未使用过这种特定技术或软件应用程序(technology or software application)的读者设计的。那么，这本书正是这个初学者想要的吗？让我们(Let)看看。
短而甜
以视觉方式自学 Windows 8(Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8)采用最简单、最直接的方法，并没有详细说明事情的运作方式和原因。目标是让读者在尽可能短的时间内对基础知识充满信心并开始学习。本书还假设读者对以前版本的Windows很少或没有经验，并且正在努力学习如何使用已安装Windows 8的计算机。(Windows 8)
每个主题都包含在一页或两页中，并且每页都有彩色插图。每个插图都附有编号和字母的按钮，这些按钮一步一步地解释用户要做什么，并解释接下来应该发生什么。几乎每个主题都附有提示，这些提示解释了对于尚未非常熟悉Windows的人来说可能不清楚的一些要点。这确实是一本给绝对初学者(absolute beginner)的书，他们可能还不知道如何做一些更有经验的用户会认为理所当然的事情。
如果您正在寻找有关工作原理的深入解释，这本书不适合您，我推荐使用 Windows 8 Step By Step。视觉自学 Windows 8还为台式电脑和平板(Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8)电脑(PCs)提供大致相等的空间，这应该使它适合几乎所有初学者。
事情的顺序
考虑到本书的目标读者，我认为这些章节的排列顺序很奇怪：
- 开始使用 Windows 8
- 启动和使用应用程序
- 连接到互联网
- 使用 Windows 8 应用程序
- 浏览万维网
- 使用电子邮件和日历
- 使用图像
- 播放音乐和其他媒体
- 创建和编辑文档
- 使用文件
- 共享您的计算机
- 实施安全
- 自定义 Windows 8
- 维护 Windows 8
对于第一次使用Windows(Windows)的人来说，我认为这不是自然而然的进展。对我来说，这样做更有意义：
- 开始使用 Windows 8
- 自定义 Windows 8
- 实施安全
- 共享您的计算机
- 连接到互联网
- 浏览万维网
- 使用 Windows 8 应用程序
- 启动和使用应用程序
- 使用电子邮件和日历
- 使用图像
- 播放音乐和其他媒体
- 创建和编辑文档
- 使用文件
- 维护 Windows 8
这是作为Windows 8(Windows 8)的新手。但是，由于我不是这本书的作者或编辑，所以我不能因为没有按我的方式布置而对其进行标记。这只是我的意见，我很想听听我们的成员对此的意见。
展示并演讲
许多章节的结构大致相同。对基本概念进行了简单的解释，然后本书将引导读者完成更具体的任务。例如，处理连接到互联网的章节首先解释了互联网服务提供商、连接速度(connection speed)、连接使用(connection usage)、宽带互联网(broadband internet)连接、无线连接和拨号连接，然后再详细介绍所有这些是如何工作的。创建文档的章节首先解释了文档是什么（文本，文字处理(word processing)、绘图和电子邮件），然后引导用户创建每种类型的文档。在每一章结束时，读者应该对事物的工作原理有一个很好的基本了解。大而全注释的插图使每个概念都易于理解，并且整本书可以方便地保存以备将来参考。每章还有一个色彩鲜艳的页眉和标题页(header and title pages)，用颜色编码到目录(Table of Contents)中，使它们很容易在书中找到（并不是说很难找到任何东西，因为这本书相对较短并且有详细的目录目录(Table of Contents)和索引(Index)）。
那么，我怎么想的？
作者清楚地了解他们的主题和目标受众。一切都以最简单、最清晰的术语进行了解释，并且它们不假设读者有任何先前的知识。这本书的页面很大，布局很吸引人，插图和注释很容易理解。这本书的目的是为新用户提供一个坚实的开始，并作为一本易于搜索、易于阅读的参考书(reference book)。它不适合更有经验的用户，也不适合想要超越基础知识的人。
判决
刚接触计算机的人应该会觉得这本书很有吸引力。作者不会对他们说话，并确保所有内容都得到了彻底的说明。对于很多人（比如我）来说，看到屏幕应该是什么样子肯定是一个加分项。这本书并没有给新手带来很多材料，它应该让几乎每个人都有信心(everyone confidence)快速上手并运行Windows 8。这是我会为家里的人买的那种书，他们只需要相信，是的，他们可以做到。
Book Review - Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8
I'm sure by now I dоn't need to saу how much I like simрle, concise, well-іllustrated guides. (But for reаders who are new to my book rеviews, yep, that's what I like.) 🙂 Since I am a newcomer to Windows 8, I had high hopes that Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8 would be exactly right for someone like me. It's part of a well-regarded series that's known for being consistent in the way it simplifies complex tasks for the beginner. The book states right up front that it's designed for the reader who has never used this particular technology or software application. So, was this book just what this beginner wanted? Let's see.
Short and sweet
Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8 takes the simplest, most straightforward approach, and does not go into a lot of detail about how and why things work. The goal is to have the reader up and running, with confidence in the basics, in the shortest possible time. The book also assumes that the reader has little or no experience with previous versions of Windows, and is seeking to learn how to use a computer that comes with Windows 8 already installed.
Each topic is covered in one or two pages, and each page is illustrated in color. Each illustration is accompanied by numbered and lettered buttons that explain what the user is to do, step by step, and explain what should happen next. Nearly every topic is also accompanied by tips that explain some point that might be unclear for someone who's not yet very familiar with Windows. This really is a book for the absolute beginner, who may not yet know how to do some of the things that more experienced users will take for granted.
If you are looking for in-depth explanations of how things work, this book isn't for you and I recommend Windows 8 Step By Step instead. Teach Yourself Visually Windows 8 also gives roughly equal space to desktop and tablet PCs, which should make it suitable for nearly every beginner.
The order of things
The chapters are arranged in what I think is an odd order, considering the book's intended audience:
- Getting Started with Windows 8
- Launching and Working with Apps
- Getting Connected to the Internet
- Using the Windows 8 Apps
- Surfing the World Wide Web
- Working with E-Mail and Calendars
- Working with Images
- Playing Music and Other Media
- Creating and Editing Documents
- Working with Files
- Sharing Your Computer
- Implementing Security
- Customizing Windows 8
- Maintaining Windows 8
I don't think this is a natural progression for someone who's coming to Windows for the very first time. To me, it makes a lot more sense to do it this way:
- Getting Started with Windows 8
- Customizing Windows 8
- Implementing Security
- Sharing Your Computer
- Getting Connected to the Internet
- Surfing the World Wide Web
- Using the Windows 8 Apps
- Launching and Working with Apps
- Working with E-Mail and Calendars
- Working with Images
- Playing Music and Other Media
- Creating and Editing Documents
- Working with Files
- Maintaining Windows 8
That's speaking as a newcomer to Windows 8. But, since I am not the author or the editor of the book, I can't mark it down for not being laid out my way. This is just my opinion, and I would love to hear our members' opinions on this.
Show and Tell
Many of the chapters are structured in much the same way. There's a simple explanation of basic concepts, and then the book walks the reader through more specific tasks. For example, the chapter that deals with connecting to the internet first explains internet service providers, connection speed, connection usage, broadband internet connections, wireless connections, and dial-up connections before going into more detail about how all that works. The chapter on creating documents first explains what documents are (text, word processing, drawing and email messages) and then walks the user through creating each type of document. By the end of each chapter, the reader should have a good basic understanding of how things work. The large, completely annotated illustrations make each concept easy to understand, and the book as a whole can be kept handy for reference in the future. Each chapter also has a brightly colored header and title pages that are color coded to the Table of Contents, making them easy to locate in the book (not that it's difficult to locate anything, since the book is relatively short and has a detailed Table of Contents and Index).
So, what did I think?
The authors clearly know their subject and their intended audience. Everything is explained in the simplest, clearest possible terms, and they don't assume any previous knowledge on the part of the reader. The book's pages are large and attractively laid out, and the illustrations and annotations are easy to understand. The book's purpose is to provide a solid beginning for a new user, and to serve as an easily searched, easily read reference book thereafter. It is not intended for more experienced users, or for people who want to go beyond the basics.
Verdict
People who are new to computers should find this book very appealing. The authors don't talk down to them and make sure that everything is thoroughly illustrated. Seeing what the screen is supposed to look like will be a definite plus for many people (like me). The book doesn't load the newcomer down with a lot of material, and it should give nearly everyone confidence to get up and running with Windows 8 quickly. This is the kind of book I would buy for people in my family who just need confidence that yes, they can do it.
