Gardening and Computers
This is the first book I've seen about computers and gardening. Initially, I found the book a bit boring because it covers the basics of what computers can do. Chapters 1 through 3 discuss purchasing computer hardware and software and the basic type activities you could use a computer for. Those chapters are best suited to someone with little knowledge of computers.
Chapter 4 presents solid information on the internet including an introduction to several of the internet service providers available today. This chapter is excellent for someone who hasn't taken the plunge and gone "on-line." Boufford makes a clear distinction between the on-line activities provided strictly by your internet service provider and those available to anyone on the world wide web. This distinction helps to explain why a non-member of America Online (AOL) or some other internet service provider can't access the garden forums sponsored by that isp. This issue frequently arises in email discussion groups when members assume that everyone has access to the same information sites. He also provides the internet addresses to several of the leading gardening sites.
Gardening Around the World (Chapter 5) begins the heart of this book. The author does an excellent job of explaining what the various parts of the browser software are, how to use web addresses, and even how to subscribe to email discussion groups. He defines internet terminology such as domain names which can sound like a foreign language to newcomers to the internet. This particular chapter would benefit any newcomer to the internet.
The next chapters, 6 through 11, describe how several types of computer software can help you manage information about your gardening activities. The book also includes a cd with freeware and shareware garden programs for you to test out. Several of these are described in the book itself. This makes it easy for the reader to actually try out the program. Shareware involves paying a fee to the software's author if you choose to continue using it. Freeware has been put into the public domain and can be used by anyone without any payments expected. This software includes everything from simple garden diaries to detailed plant databases--all geared to save the busy gardener time.
I personally found his advice to buy both a computer-aided design drafting style program and landscape imaging program valuable. As an AutoCad with Landcadd user, I've come to understand that neither package does everything needed to effectively design landscapes on the computer. If this is true with software that costs in the hundreds of dollars, the homeowner can't expect to find everything in a package costing less than a $100 each.
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