Finance-Software

I bought this book hoping to find the real "case against Bill Gates", or more specifically against Microsoft. Goodness knows he and his cronies made plenty of secret business deals that, exposed to the light of day, would really damage the company. A book detailing (and, more importantly, documenting) all these things I've been trying to tell people for years would at the least make me seem less of a wild-eyed conspiracy theorist among my peers.

But, unfortunately, this book seems to concentrate mainly on what kind of a person Bill Gates is, including a truly baffling amount of coverage of Bill's courting of some woman who worked for Microsoft. I don't care about that [stuff]; I want to see the LEGAL case against him, not things that belong in the gossip column.

Thus disillusioned, I never finished the book, so for all I know it may contain what I hoped to find, but if so, it's not in the first half of the book.

The Microsoft File, presents us with an interesting and timely account of the Department of Justice's current antitrust case against Microsoft. Wendy Rohm translated an intensely complex issue into an interesting and coherent chronicle. Covering the antics of Microsoft's attempts to maintain its monopoly in the computer industry on several continents is a challenging task and Rohm has successfully merged Gates' actions in America, Europe, Asia and Australia in her narrative. The book is an colorful amalgamation of facts and anecdotes about Gates, his legal staff, and other key players in the computer industry. What makes the book a non-stop read is her depiction of the personalities of the major players thus providing a fine blend of significant technical information and character portrayals of the key players in the computer industry who had a hand in establishing Microsoft's dominant position. Bill Neukom, Gates' chief counsel , who has masterminded Microsoft's legal victories from the outset, is a particularly intriguing character. There's a fellow who knows a good thing when he sees it and sticks to it. One quibble with the book is the lack of a glossary of the numerous acronyms and abbreviations which are frequently used. I kept wishing I could go to the back of the book and see what OEM, DOJ, DR-DOS, FTC , NT represent without having to skip back through the pages wherein they were originally defined.

Microsoft's public relations armies must have come out in swarms to disparage this incredible, factual book that was the first to expose scores of predatory practices Microsoft engaged in to lock up the market. (If you read some of the statements Microsoft made in public about it, you will not believe it! Compare the review in The Nation, versus the Wall St. Journal, which is against the very existence of antitrust law to begin with!) This book came out before the antitrust trial began and turned out to be prophetic, given Judge Jackson's recent ruling. A must read ! Also see Rohm's book "Under the Radar." This book was highly controversial for one reason: it's GREAT, and exposes the ugly practices of a very dishonest band of senior executives--not a pretty picture for those who prefer to see Bill Gates as a hero.

The language is simple and straightforward, however there is one warning here. The examples and version presented is only dedicated to the US public.

There are lots of differences in other countries/languages. If that's your case, try to find a book specifically for your country/version.

This book is simple to navigate, with logically organized chapters and tasks. It has LOTS of screen captures, and is very easy to follow. If you are looking for a "Power User's" guide, this isn't it, but it's the closest thing available.

This book serves as a good intro to the functionality found in Microsoft Money 98.
It helped me get started. I especially liked the chapters on planning and reports.

The author of this book makes keeping track of your money with Money 2004 easy to understand. It tells you how to set up your account, pay bills online, and even create monthly reports. There's even a part on tracking your investments, planning for the future, and preparing for tax time. I recommend this book to anyone who has Money 2004!

I thought this book would have info for ALL versions of MS Money 2003. Not. No mention of any of the biz version at all.

This was a good book, like the dummy books easy to read etc. However, I really loved The Intersection of Joy and Money. Mackey McNeill takes you right to the core of the issue.

I think John Simpson should have looked at the front cover of this book before posting his negative review. The front cover clearly states that the book covers only the Standard and Deluxe version of the software. There's no claim that it covers the Small Biz version.

This is the 1st "Dummies" book I've found disappointing. The early chapters are fine, but as the topics become more complex, the book becomes no more than a guide for filling in software fields. There's very little expert advice on how to actually use the software to reflect and manage real-life financial transactions and situations.

I'd been using Money for a while before I bought this book: it didn't answer any of my outstanding questions. I just don't have the sense that the author is any kind of expert MS Money user.

I have Money 2001, but this book still applies very well. I have been pleased with most of the Dummies books and this one is no different. It covers everything I was curious about and helped me to fill some gaps in my understanding of the software. The chapters are well organized, which makes it easy to find answers to specific questions and a good bookshelf reference. Considering there's little else currently out there for MS Money, this book is it.

I've checked out other books on Microsoft Money, but this is the best I've found for answering the real questions that actually come up when you're using the program. Excellent step-by-step instructions on everything from the simplest to the most complex Money features!

I find it interesting that Microsoft expects to profit from this book when the "instructional booklet" they inlcuded with their software is so clearly deficient.

Book is too basic. Majority covers very basic program functionality that is already present in the help - if you need pretty pictures that tell you when to press the 'next' button or 'ok' button then this book is for you. If on the other hand you already know how to enter a deposit and know how to reconcile your account, I suggest you try another book.

As an ex-Microsoft employee I have read almost every book published about the company by both Microsoft people and external observers. This is the one I recommend to others who want to understand what it was like at Microsoft in the early years. This book is unique in that it does not try to "teach" you how Microsoft works, but rather it allows individuals who were there tell their unique stories to illustrate what it was like inside one of the fastest growing high-tech companies. Common experiences like how strange it was not having to beg for supplies or even ask permission to do something you thought needed to be done ("just exercise good judgement") ring true, as do the experiences of coming to grips with a growing company and balancing one's work and family time. Microsoft may not be like this today, but it accurately portrays the experiences in the early years through the first successful launch of Windows and Windows becoming a product that most of us use today. Remember these are the tales of people who had to explain to others that they worked for a small company in the Pacific Northwest that wrote software -- for Microsoft was not always the brand it is today.

I read this book because a friend of a friend of a friend is one of the "insiders," and I thought it would be fun to see if I could recognize his story. I didn't have any specific expectations about the book as a whole - and I was surprised to find myself riveted from early on. These people tell their stories in a variety of ways, and they all had different experiences at Microsoft and came away with different perspectives - but they all tell the same very human tale of making hard choices, recognizing opportunity, dealing with disappointment, growing up, clarifying values, etc. The fact that the context is Microsoft definitely adds an interesting dimension to the stories, but this is more of a generic character study of smart young people struggling with the big questions of life (like money - lots and lots of money) than anything really specific to Microsoft. Also, I have to say that they're not all (at least from their stories here) likeable people - but that just adds to the realism of the book as a whole. This is a fascinating book!

Everyone knows that the culture and success of Microsoft is the stuff legends are made of. This book does an excellent job of looking under the surface of this technology giant to learn what really goes on behind the scenes. There are many books about Bill Gates out there, but this one focuses on the individuals who went for a roller coaster ride that not only changed their lives, but the world. For some it was like winning the lottery, and it's interesting to see how different people viewed and managed their sudden fortune. Everybody has a different experience, some are bitter and some enamored but I found all the stories very interesting and even entertaining. Carter did a great job of pulling in a mix of people and capturing the real story behind the success of Microsoft.

It is such a shame. Imagine a party where everyone is telling the best reditions (often exaggerated) of their life choices and career path. These party goes will be slapping each other on the back for their good judgement, their luck, their brilliance. They are unlikely to tell the truth such that you would ever use the story as a basis for your own decision making. The story is also unlikely to provide access into what actually happened so that you get a sense of being there or give lessons to repeat it. Record these stories at your next party. Transcribe them. Publish as a book.

Unfortunately, this book simply isn't very well written... it reads like an 8th grader's English homework. The interviewees don't really shed any light on Microsoft, and their stories are so lacking in detail as to be pointless. Read "Gates" for a far better treatment of the topic.

I picked this book up and I think that it is very good. I started reading it right after finishing up a book on Linus Torvalds the creator of Linux. Thus this is almost the flip side of that coin, showing how Microsoft became. One thing that surprised me was that Bill Gates was not one of the main focuses of this particular book, though he is mentioned quite frequently. Rather it shows some of the others responsible for possibly the most successful computer company ever. This is not all just programmers either, but a good selection of people from various different aspects of the microsoft realm.