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Hey You! You weren't supposed to open this book! You'll be sorry! This book will turn you into a computer addict. Your life will never again be sane. This book will turn you into a computer expert even if you're an idiot. In fact, some of the most famous computer experts· in the world ha ve read this book-and are idiots! This book tells you more about computers than your mom recommends. It explains the joys and sorrows, the highs and hassles, the philosophies and technicalities ,' the hardware and software, the theory and practice, the elements and excrement. At times, you'll have a ball. At other times, you'll have a baii and chain. You'll giggle and gag, laugh and lament, frolic and frown. You'lllike some parts of this book so much that you'll shower me with tulips; other parts will make you shower me with tomatoes. This is the only book ever published that's diabolica! enough to have been extensively praised by al/ the popular computer magazines. It's the only book that covers al! aspects of computers, the only book that makes even the most advanced topics easy, and the only major book whose author's stupid enough to print his home phone number. I'm the author. My home phone number is 617-266-8128. When you ha ve a question about computers-or about life-call me, and 1'11 help you, free, even if your question is weird or personal. You can call 24 hours: l'm almost always in, and 1 sleep only lightly. Because of the midnight phone caUs, I'm not married . . . unless you count the computers I've fallen in love with. If someday you look at your heart and find it's turned into a microchip, don't blame me: I've turned into a robot already! At your service,
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"The butler did i t . !
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publicat ion Data Walter, R uss, 194 7The secret guide to computers. Voi. 1 lncludes index. 1. Microcomputers. 1. Title 83-22421 001.64 Qt\ 76.5.W286 1983 ISBN 978-1-4899-6785-5 (eBook) ISBN 978-0-8176-3190-1 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-6785-5 AII rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced. stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record ing or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright owner. IC> Springer Science+Business Media New York 1984
Originally published by Birkhăuser Boston. Inc. and Russ Walter in 1984 ISBN 978-0-8176-3190-1
PRAISED BY MAGAZINES
The Secret Guide to Computers has been praised by all the famous microcomputer magazines. PERSONAL COMPUTING MAGAZINE SAYS:
"The Secret Guide to Computers is bulging with information, and you'll spend an enjoyable session with it. Russ Walter's the only author we know who invites readers to talk back. He makes it easy by publishing his home phone number and urges readers to call him whenever they encounter a problem they can't solve. His approach to text-writing sets a new style that other authors might do well to follow. The Secret Guide is one of the most readable texts on computers that's appeared. It's readable, instructive, and downright entertaining. If more college texts were written in the Russ Walter style, more college students would reach their commencement day." POPULAR COMPUTING MAGAZINE SAYS:
"Russ Walter, author and computer instructor, is like Charlie Lau, baseball's premier batting coach: neither is a household name, but they're both highly regarded by their peers. Walter is king of the East Coast computer cognoscenti. Almost single-handedly, he's shattered the stereotype of computer teacher as absent-minded professor. He usually attends computer shows in a full-length warlock costume, as browsers partake of his shoot-from-the-hip humor. His Secret Guide is the biggest bargain in computer tutorials in our hemisphere. The Secret Guide is imbued with the same obsessive quality found in Will and Ariel Du