Tynan-Wood includes some open source software options, though she stresses their lack of cost more than the whole open ideology. (She mentions Linux once, but it's clear from the get-go that this book isn't directed at your typical Linux user.) She also answers user questions great and small throughout the book, and their subject matter ranges from the mundane - " what's USB" ? - to the
. sensational - " how do I get naughty emoticons" ? I can't think of another book that covers such a broad range of topics, yet still manages to be thorough. I don't often jump into the realm of feminista, because I think other folks do it better than I do and because it's outside of the focus of dotFiveOne, but these three pages got my hackles up so much it took me awhile to get past it. Women are allowed to have their own tech books without apologizing for it, and mentioning the interminable debate about how men and women might approach computing differently just takes something away from the power of this book. This may not have been the author's intention, but it certainly disappointed me and distracted me from the book's content.
