Remember the courage it took to turn on that computer for the first time and jump into the world of technology? Just look what you have accomplished since then and all the benefits the computer has offered. Don’t you agree the reward is worth the effort?   

Now there is a new challenge for computer users - Windows XP, Microsoft’s latest operating system. XP is receiving rave reviews because it is easier to use and much more stable. The consensus is XP is a worthwhile operating system. And to help flatten the inevitable learning curve, Microsoft Press has conveniently published a very handy and easy to follow guidebook called Windows XP Plain and Simple.

Microsoft did not have to go far to find two very capable authors, Jerry Joyce and Marianne Moon. Jerry has been the technical editor on many books for Microsoft and is a programmer as well. Marianne, his wife, has been editing and proof reading books for Microsoft since 1984. The two of them have reduced a dreaded steep XP learning curve into a comfortable little rise. Windows XP Plain and Simple is a straightforward, easy-to-read reference tool that will help you master XP and get your computer work done quickly and efficiently.

Although the book is based on the Home Edition of XP, users of Windows XP for Professionals will find the information helpful. The entire approach is task oriented. The focus of the book is on the easiest way to do a task, acknowledging there are numerous ways to achieve a single end result. Simple and to the point, Joyce and Moon spare us from technical jargon and computerese. No explanation of a task takes more than two pages.

You will find the table of contents a very useful map. Find your area of interest, turn to that page, and jump in. In no time, you will be familiar with the book’s colorful illustrated step-by-step format. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this book is verbose with its many screen shots previewing what you will find on your XP screen. Callout explanations along with the effective use of color and white space keep the instructions very clear. Chapters are color-coded, and numbered steps show you just what to do.  

Windows XP Plain and Simple does a great job using repetitive symbols throughout the book. Color-coded Tips are very useful, and don’t be afraid to take on a Try This every now and then. You will love the green arrows pointing out a New Feature in XP that was not in previous Windows versions. 

The book has a logical flow with tasks arranged in levels. The overall type of task makes up a main section with smaller tasks falling under the main tasks. As you would expect, the book starts with the basics and moves through to more advanced topics. In spite of its structure, one nice thing about Windows XP Plain and Simple is that you do not have to read it in any particular order. Just jump in wherever the topic suits you.

Windows XP has been described as friendly, compatible, fun, robust, powerful, and easy to use. Microsoft has done an excellent job of mirroring all of these adjectives in their book, Windows XP Plain and Simple. The only additional thing I could ask for would be for Microsoft to include this book with every copy of Windows XP. Oh well, enough for wishful thinking.

Be sure to leave room on your desk for this book; it will be open often.