Comments about O'Reilly Media Optimizing Windows for Games, Graphics and Multime:

I decided to visit my local Chapters store tonight and review some books when I came across this one. Well, one of the benefits of Chapters is that you're actually allowed to sit down and read books in the store. While I didn't read this book from cover-to-cover, I did read the vast majority of it. And even though I didn't buy it before leaving, I now have this book placed near the top of my list of books to purchase and will do so in a day or so.

Anyone reading this review should take it upon themselves to sit down and browse through this book. The information is very easy to read and the tips are very practical and will provide "real-world" performance increases (I know 'cause I've used some of the tips detailed within this book prior to reading it).

So check it out...

Comments about O'Reilly Media Optimizing Windows for Games, Graphics and Multime:

I am primarily a Linux user and therefore I have many O'Reilly books, all of which I have found to be very good and useful.

However, I still use Windows 9x for gaming and general day-to-day use and have always objected very strongly to Microsoft's attitude that simply assumes that you have the latest super-fast hardware and want "Active Desktop", Internet Explorer integration, animated menus, etc. without question.

As somebody who is used to optimising Linux and UNIX systems and who came from a DOS background, I have for a long time wanted to get into the real "guts" of Win 9x to do the same but have found Microsoft's web site so convoluted to get to the information I wanted that I frequently ended up giving up.

This book is therefore a GODSEND and I snapped it up the moment it appeared on the shelf of my local bookstore this weekend. I have now read it virtually cover-to-cover and I cannot speak highly enough for this book - it really is well written and has changed my attitude to Win 9x; previously, I had done some surface level optimising of 9x and just assumed that was it for what is basically a "baggage ridden" OS but having finished the book, I am eager to start re-installing machines with some of David's tips, eager to find out just HOW fast I can get it to run on them.

I don't think this book really misses not having a CD - all of the free utilities the author mentions are small and downloadable from the Internet and the "typing in" stuff is minimal (to be perfectly honest, I haven't messed around with config.sys and autoexec.bat for so long now that I welcome the chance to do some command line work again!)

In summary, it's a great book, an easy read and has a lot of interesting stuff in it - I look forward to an update that includes Windows ME which seems to be the most sluggish 9x OS of them all!