The Root of All Evil

Customer Reviews

The Root of All Evil Review
2003-09-25 19:55:53 George Woolley of Oakland.pm
The User Friendly (UF) Comic Strip is about the saga

of a cast of characters who work at or are somehow involved

with Columbia Internet, a fictional Internet Service Provider.

This is the third of four (so far) book compilations

of the User Friendly comic strip.

What did you expect from the book?

I was expecting still another compilation of User Friendly strips.

I was expecting lots of strips and lots of laughs.

I was also expecting much evil.

Did you get what you expected?

Yep, lots of User Friendly strips and a lot of good laughs.

And there's a healthy dose of evil too.

For example:

* Pitr strives to become "SUPER ADMINISTRATOR OF ALL BORG FUNCTION".

* Amazon tries to patent the letter "a", ".com", etc.

* The FBI renames "CARNIVORE" as "CARNY"

and makes it available in software stores.

* AOL produces a CD that when played backwards says

"DOMINATE!! DOMINATE!! EAT YOUR YOUNG AND AGGREGATE."

And the evilest creature of all, the Mirosoft paperclip thingy,

also makes an appearance.

What else did you especially like?

Well, there were lots of really fun things including:

* the man/woman interations (or should I say geek/woman)

between A.J. and Miranda.

* the hilarious tech support questions

and also the responses by Mike and others.

* the similar minimalistic AI programs by Sid and Pitr.

* Sid's caustic old timer humor.

You can read more about A.J., Miranda, Mike and Sid

in the UF character gallery.

What was disappointing?

Illiad didn't show the source for the AI programs.

He didn't even say what language they were written in.

I would have enjoyed more evil

and a greater presence of the most evil of the UF characters.

Who's the book for?

The book is appropriate for geeks

and people interested in learning about geeks and geek culture.

(I know I said that in an earlier review,

but, hey, that's still what I think.)

C.F. GUVF OBBX VF JNL XBBY!

The Root of All Evil Review
2001-09-10 00:38:25 Charles Borner


What can I say? If you love the UF strip, you've GOTTA have this dead tree. If nothing else, just to show all the weenies without net connectivity the stuff you're constantly giggling about.

Media Reviews

"You have to be a geek to really appreciate the humour, but even beginner geeks will love it."
--Harry Babad, The Finder; The Newsletter of the Mid-Columbia Macintosh User Group, June 2002

"The tech world is a strange place. Who says it can't be funny too? Scott Adams' popular Dilbert comic strip has proven that there is a wealth of humour to be mined from technology and techies alike. But for many techies, Dilbert and its kin only scratch the surface, dealing as much with office politics as with the life of techies. The User Friendly comic strip goes deeper...the Doonesbury for techies. The drawing style is crude--Illiad is no Michelangelo--but the jokes are good and often clever, and besides, I'd much rather read a cartoon that is genuinely inventive and amusing than well-drawn. Give me User Friendly over Family Circus or Cathy any day. 'Root of All Evil' is pretty much guaranteed to bring a smile to any techie-types you might know."
--Keith Schengili-Roberts, Computer Paper, April 2002

"...side-splittingly funny,...a breath of originality, guaranteed hilarious, and absolutely, positively, not to be missed. Highly, wholeheartedly, enthusiastically recommended."
--James Cox, Midwest Book Review, Nov 2001

"Rating 9. If you have the previous User Friendly books, this is a no-brainer purchase. If you don't have them, you might want to get the other two books before purchasing this one. If you've never viewed User Friendly, view a few strips online or leaf through the other books first. If you're like most geeks, you'll find you'll want as much User Friendly as you can get!"
--Craig Maloney, slashdot.com, Nov 2001

"Gifts for the Holidays, Computing Gifts for your favorite scientist (or yourself). After the Sept 11 attacks, a good place to start is with a little humour. I recommend 'The Root of All Evil,' by Illiad."
--John Joyce, PhD. Scientific Computing and Instrumentation, Nov 2001

"More witty, wise observations on the world of computers."
--Computer Shopper, Jan 2002

"Make sure you leave this review lying around, so that people can buy you it for Christmas. In fact, don't take a chance--just ask for it! There is little enough humour around at the moment, and when computers figure in it, it is usually silly, misinformed or embarrassingly naïve...hit! More witty, wise observations on the world of computers."
--Computer Shopper, Jan 2002

User Friendly

Customer Reviews

Dated, but still funny
2004-04-26 10:08:28 Alex Belt from the Columbia Java Users Group
Although a bit dated, containing strips related to the Y2K craze here and there, this little book is still otherwise as funny and timely as any commentary on the computer industry could be. The X-Men and Borg references are absolutely hysterical. If you work in a tech job, you should be reading User Friendly.

User Friendly Review
2003-09-19 11:13:48 George Woolley, Oakland.pm


Excellent. Hilarious.

This is the first of the incredibly funny dead tree compilations

of the User Friendly on-line comic strip.

It recounts part of the saga of a cast of characters

involved with a fictional ISP called Columbia Internet.

Until late August 2003,

I really knew zilch of User Friendly and Columbia Internet.

Somehow I had missed the daily strips and three paper compilations. :(

Then a perceptive friend sent me email

which directed my attention to the User Friendly series.

Soon I found myself addicted to the strip

much as some of the characters in the strip are addicted to caffeine.

The fourth book "Even Grues Get Full"

is supposed to arrive at my house very soon. :)

If you are a geek, or have geek tendencies or wish to grok geeks,

get this book. ;)

If you want, check out

my somewhat longer review.

User Friendly Review
2000-10-25 09:19:09 alan ledwick
y'all seem to like this book quite a bit, but i'm with the other guy that didn't think it was all that funny. some of the stuff is amusing, yeah, but this just isn't for me. not sure why y'all think that someone that doesn't like it must be lame. sounds like lame reasoning to me. ah well. i might read the next one to see if it ever gets any funnier, but i sure ain't buying it.

User Friendly Review
2000-04-25 00:00:00 Mermaid


Look. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. For example, my opinion is that the doofus who doesn't find UF just hilariously funny is a loser without a sense of humor - doomed forever to a life of celibacy. Of course, this is just my opinion.
UF has done something that few cartoons have been able to do. It has impressed me. It is consistently fresh and funny. I look forward to reading Illiad's wickedly twisted humor on a daily basis.
I have gone out of my way in the wilds of Nevada to *find* and internet connection just to read UF while on Vacation (Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a connection in the mountains? And once you have, try to explain that you just need to 'borrow' it for a few minutes to look at a cartoon...).
UF deserves to be worshipped and to be taught as a 'classic' in schools 300 years from now.

User Friendly Review
2000-04-20 00:00:00 Darren Gibbs


The guy who didn't find this funny either doesn't work in tech support, or doesn't have a sense of humour - one of the two.

Illiad rules - the cartoon set in this book with the Star Wars send up had me wetting myself with laughter - and one particular frame now proudly adornes the door of the server room at my {very} pro-WindoZe place of employ.

If you work in computers, and don't already follow User Friendly on the net - get this book. You won't regret it.

User Friendly Review
2000-04-12 00:00:00 Bryn Thompson


Loved the book! The scary thing is I recognize a lot of the traits of the characters in people I know! Myself included!!! AAARRRGGHHHH!!!!

User Friendly Review
2000-03-30 00:00:00 J.D. Roth


I hate to be the lone dissenting voice here, but I really didn't (and don't) find _User Friendly_ to be all that amusing. Based on rave reviews on Slashdot (and other sites), I plunked down my hard-earned cash for this book. You know, I didn't laugh, or smile, even once.

Perhaps this is some flaw in my own character. Or maybe the "humor" in the strip is an acquired taste. Whatever. It didn't amuse me.

I've got a copy of the book for sale cheap if anybody wants one...

--j.d.

User Friendly Review
2000-03-22 00:00:00 Shane Collinge (creator: HelpDex comic s


I was fortunate enoughto get hold of a copy of "USER FRIENDLY the comic strip". As a computer geek myself, I found many in-jokes and opportunities for a good old larf.

Charles Schultz (Peanuts) was a master of characterization. Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) is a genius at representing theology, Scott Addams (Dilbert) at corporate culture. With User Friendly, Iliad has captured the geek ethic and programmer culture. He sees as a computer professional sees, plays Quake as they play Quake and eats sugar-rich foods as they do. In this anthology you'll expect to see Quake jokes, Microsoft jibes, corporate takeovers and accents that change more quickly than the bug list>for Windows 2000.

The only criticism I can raise is that having been spoilt by Gary Larson's "Prehistory of the Far Side", I would have liked to see some of the nuts & bolts behind the scenes, like a "Techniques" section or a "Ideas rejected by the editor" section.

Other than that, I sat and read it cover to cover. Every time I'd go to put it down, I'd hit another storyline and I wanted to see how it would end. The Star Wars storyline was my favourite. Yeah, Sith Lords *do* get the coolest lightsabers!

User Friendly Review
2000-01-28 00:00:00 Belgand


While I have to admit a certain ammount of bias towards the subject matter at hand I can firmly reccomend this book to anyone with the faintest geekish traits in them. Often useful for converting others (just leaving it around has brought numerous others into the fold for me) and yourself when you have to go off the grid or don't want to use a laptop to do your bedtime reading. Buy it now, thank yourself later.

User Friendly Review
1999-09-22 00:00:00 JT


Two Words: Get it!

User Friendly Review
1999-08-05 00:00:00 Lumpish Scholar


The dreaded "User Friendly productivity virus" strikes when a company first discovers User Friendly, and spends the next day catching up on old strips. Here's a way to reduce the impact of UFPV on your staff, your servers, your ISP, and your loved ones. (Besides, if you run into him at a Linux conference, you can't get Illiad to sign a Web site, can you?)

User Friendly Review
1999-08-05 00:00:00 Alan Starr


If you've seen it on the web, then you know you'll like it. Head over to the userfriendly homepage and check it out for free.

User Friendly Review
1997-12-06 00:00:00 Samantha


Absolutely excellent! Hillarious!

Media Reviews

?This is the funniest comic strip that is on the subject of
technology that I have ever read?User Friendly is the first
example of the merging of print media and Internet media that works perfectly that I have come across. You really get to become a part of a community with this product. These User Friendly books from O'Reilly don't cost that much money, and once you buy at least this first User Friendly book, you are automatically involved in this world of these comic strip characters that you come to really care about.. If you use Linux and are a supporter of or a developer of open source software, you?re going to love this comic strip and become an instant fan just like I did.?
--Raven, ravenmatrix.com, Dec 2001


"Anybody whose interests lie with computers or the Internet will find these hilarious musings on this quirky business very amusing and entertaining." --Dale Ferris, Golden Triangle PC Club, May 2001

User Friendly Second Place, Non-Computer Product, Linux Magazine's Editor's Choice Awards, 2000

User Friendly "Now, thanks to the people at O'Reilly, everyone can get a healthy dose of techno-humour from this compilation of strips"-Keith Schengili-Roberts, Computer Paper, May 2000

"For those who've worked with computers, particularly tech support, it's well worth the $12.95. Depending on your persuasion, this book may not be for you, as some people have suggested that User Friendly has something of an anti-Microsoft bias." --John Joyce, Scientific Computing and Instrumentation, Dec 1999

"a cutting edge cartoon about cutting-edge technology to which all computer lovers can relate" --Information Technology Career World

These quotes were taken from the User Friendly Web site: www.userfriendly.org

"Eric Raymond wrote essays about the Internet community. Illiad went one further and captured the spirit of the ISP and the free software communities in cartoon form. If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at your ISP or how free software users sometimes think, all can now be revealed." --Alan Cox, Linux God and Kernel Hacker

"The only reason everyone in the world doesn't read User Friendly is that not everyone has fast access to the Web. Now you can get the book, so there's no excuse at all. The only problem with User Friendly as a book is you'll read it all at once, when you ought to ration yourself for a little joy every day." --Jerry Pournelle, Senior Contributing Editor, BYTE.com

"The perfect book or gift for the computer professional. Good for more than a few good laughs! Buy it!" --John C. Dvorak, Computer Columnist

"User Friendly is smart and sassy and just what I've been waiting for-- a cartoon that computer geeks can relate to. A cutting-edge cartoon about cutting-edge technology, User Friendly is funny enough that even the non-geeks will get it. The recent Star Wars spoof was intelligent, timely, and funny. I'm proud to have User Friendly in Linux Journal." --Marjorie L. Richardson, Editor in Chief, Linux Journal

"Illiad's understanding of the Linux and Open Source community is uncanny. You have to live it to know it as well as he does. User Friendly is more than a cartoon, it's brilliant social commentary for the computer culture of today. You really feel connected to him, because he seems to live in your mind. It's a must-click, the cartoon kicks ass!" --Trae McCombs, Manager, Linux.com

"One of the characteristics of healthy cultures is that they can poke fun at themselves. I guess the hacker culture is in good health, because User Friendly is hilarious. Its irreverence, sophisticated in-jokes and surrealistic edge are a rocket straight out of the Internet's collective unconscious." --Eric S. Raymond, ubergeek

"...the cartoon is so insightful and captures the essence of today's web industry so brilliantly that it's definitely going to be big." --Nina Furu, columnist, digi.no

"User Friendly has my sides splitting daily. Illiad has taken a step that no one else has done by doing a strip for the Un*x/Geek community thats funny and cute." --Trae McCombs, manager, themes.org

"User Friendly has something that no other cartoon has, the ability to not only be funny, but be exactly like events at your own work. In fact sometimes you think life would be better if you worked for Columbia Internet." --Scott James Remnant, editor, segfault.org

"User Friendly" taps the open-source movement's collective funny bone...a smart and quirky cartoon born of the open-source movement and championed by geeks across the Net." --Janelle Brown, Salon Magazine, Oct 1999

"Funny Stuff for the Techno-nerd. Have no idea what to get the computer geek on your Christmas list? Skip the latest cutting-edge hardware or the newest game, and go low-tech. As in a book. Specifically a hilarious new title called User Friendly a collection of offbeat comic strips about all things digital. Think Dilbert for the semi-conductor set...any self-respecting mouse jockey will see himself or herself in these panels. It's as though you're sharing an inside joke." --Dan Geiser , The Gazette, Nov 15, 1999

"One of the most gimme books of the year: O'Reilly's User Friendly. The whole gang is gathered together in a dead tree version, which means you can finally take UF where ever you want to be... User Friendly, the greatest open-source-savvy comic strip... The naive might compare
User Friendly to Dilbert, since they're both set in technology industry offices, but it's really more like Doonesbury... The strip is very, very funny... and by reading it, you will always feel like a member of the open source club." --Stern, slashdot.org, November 1999

Even Grues Get Full

Customer Reviews

Even Grues Get Full Review
2003-09-24 01:00:03 George Woolley of Oakland.pm


Excellent. Really, really funny.

This book is the fourth in a series of collections

of User Friendly comic strips.

It is filled with geeky humor about a cast of characters

connected with Columbia Internet, a fictional ISP.

Is it for you?

Reflect on the following questions:

* Would you consider taking the Geek Test?

* Do you enjoy open sores as a pun on Open Source?

If your answer to either of these questions is yes,

I suggest you get this book.

As an alternative to going right out and buying this book,

you could waste some of your precious time

and actually (gasp) read my longer review --

and then buy the book.

Media Reviews

"Give your non-nerd friends a fully caffeinated taste of your world with a collection of User Friendly comic strips by J.D. 'Illiad' Frazer."
--Michelle Delio, Wired News, December 2004

"The book has a great feel; many of Frazer's strips go on for a couple of pages, providing lots of space to get into the meat of his subjects and observations. For those who have yet to be initiated into the the inner sanctum of geek-dom, the book will give you some genuinely funny insights into the working minds of all those programmers, software & hardware engineers and related types out there, as well as a satirical look at ISPs and IT departments behind the scenes. Highly recommended."
--Jack Reikel, Kickstartnews.com, February 2004
http://www.kickstartnews.com/reviews/books/even_grues_get_full.html

Reviews from previous User Friendly compilations:

"You have to be a geek to really appreciate the humor, but even beginner geeks will love it."
--Harry Babad, The Finder; The Newsletter of the Mid-Columbia Macintosh User Group, June 2002

"The tech world is a strange place. Who says it can't be funny too? Scott Adams' popular Dilbert comic strip has proven that there is a wealth of humor to be mined from technology and techies alike. But for many techies, Dilbert and its kin only scratch the surface, dealing as much with office politics as with the life of techies. The 'User Friendly' comic strip goes deeper... the Doonesbury for techies. The drawing style is crude--Illiad is no Michelangelo--but the jokes are good and often clever, and besides, I'd much rather read a cartoon that is genuinely inventive and amusing than well-drawn. Give me 'User Friendly' over Family Circus or Cathy any day. Root of All Evil is pretty much guaranteed to bring a smile to any techie-types you might know."
--Keith Schengili-Roberts, Computer Paper, April 2002

"...side-splittingly funny? a breath of originality, guaranteed hilarious, and absolutely, positively, not to be missed. Highly, wholeheartedly, enthusiastically recommended.?
--James Cox, Midwest Book Review, November 2001

"Rating 9. If you have the previous 'User Friendly' books, this is a no-brainer purchase. If you don't have them, you might want to get the other two books before purchasing this one. If you've never viewed 'User Friendly', view a few strips online or leaf through the other books first. If you're like most geeks, you'll find you'll want as much 'User Friendly' as you can get!"
--Craig Maloney, slashdot.com, November 2001

"Gifts for the holidays, computing gifts for your favorite scientist (or yourself). After the Sept 11 attacks, a good place to start is with a little humor. I recommend 'The Root of All Evil,' 'The Root of All Evil' by Illiad."
--John Joyce, PhD, Scientific Computing and Instrumentation, November 2001

"Make sure you leave this review lying around, so that people can buy it for you for Christmas. In fact, don't take a chance--just ask for it! There is little enough humor around at the moment, and when computers figure in it, it is usually silly, misinformed or embarrassingly naïve...hit! More witty, wise observations on the world of computers."
--Computer Shopper, January 2002

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell

Customer Reviews

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2003-09-25 19:19:29 George Woolley of Oakland.pm
The User Friendly (UF) Comic Strip is about the saga

of a cast of characters who work at or are somehow involved

with Columbia Internet, a fictional Internet Service Provider.

This is the second of four (so far) book compilations

of the User Friendly comic strip.

What did you expect from the book?

Based on the title of the book,

I expected a humorous guide to world domination

in something like the format of an O'Reilly Nutshell book.

I also expected lots of User Friendly strips

and especially ones involving Cthulhu, Pitr and Crud Puppy,

who are all evil geniuses.

I expected to encounter some other evil geniuses as well,

for example, Bill Gates.

Did you get what you expected?

Well:

* The book is geeky funny.

* The book contains plenty of UF strips,

actually more than I expected.

* Pitr appears often.

However:

* The book doesn't focus on world domination.

* Cthulhu does not appear at all.

We don't see much of Crud Puppy either. Darn! :(

* The format is not that of a Nutshell book.

For example, there is no table of contents or index.

The book is very funny,

but it does not deliver fully on the title of the book.

I think it's time for a second edition

with more focussed content

and following, more closely, the format

of a typical O'Reilly Nutshell book.

Who's the book for?

The book is appropriate for geeks

and people interested in learning about geeks and geek culture.

[This review was written for Oakland.pm.]

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2001-01-04 07:58:11 John
This book is da greatest. I'm becoming a evil geniuse Mwuahahahahaha. This book cracks me up anytime i read id. ALso it was practically impossible to find. Checked in 4 different book stores. They said it wasn't in stock. You should see wut kindaz tech questions i get:

How do I turn on the computer?

why does internet explorer crash so much? (microsoft product da)

Why do u know so muchabout computers? i'm a tech Geek da

Do u have a life? Nyet

Can i be a tech? not in ur dife

well i live in a world of stupids. wish coloumbia internet was real.

^_^

Evil geniuse

John

aka pitr disciple

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-06-07 12:57:16 The Rat Man
I've read UF for 2 years, and love it, i've got the UF book and love it, now i have this book, and guess what? I love it

And so do my rats :)
Byeeeee

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-05-22 17:03:58 John Krahn
While I enjoy the cartoons, I was disapointed by the editing. The strips are not in chronological order, some are missing, and one has completely different dialog from the original (Feb. 17 1999.) Also it would be nice if the colour strips were printed in colour.

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-04-27 00:00:00 JP


Great book.

Being the UF-junky I am, I read it in two hours straight.

This is a must have for any UF-fan.

I'm voting for "BOFH in a nutshell" for the next series :) ( search for 'bofh' or try http://www.iinet.net.au/~bofh/ )

But then again, "Greg's Complete Guide to the Helpdesk" would also be fun to have ;)

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-04-25 00:00:00 Troy


Even if you have read every User Friendly comic to date, buy it so you can point to it on your bookshelf and say "Don't make me concoct a diabolically evil scheme in which I would ensnare your pitiful a**, Bill! Mua-ha-ha-ha!!!" Or you could just smile (perhaps evilly) when a person notices it on your desk. Too much fun! Thanks O'Reilly!

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-04-25 00:00:00 Carl


I've been reading Userfriendly for some time now and have been reluctant to buy the books for that reason but with the Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell title and especially the layout, well I just had to have the book to show off to my friends.

Thanks much for the entertainment. It's a great strip.

Carl
Evil Genius

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-04-24 00:00:00 Aya


Steps for makink best geek comic strip on the net (or in print):

1. Is like your work, only beink better

-Checkski.

2. Is makink you smile and laugh while at said place of business

-Checkski.

3. Is makink you come closer to beink evil genius.

-Am thinking is impossible to be doink #2 and #3! But must read anyway!

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-04-21 00:00:00 Fawad


Userfriendly is goodski. Book iz highly recommended.

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
2000-04-21 00:00:00 Hageltje


Whoa first post =)

My advice: read this, it rewlz =)

Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell Review
1998-07-20 00:00:00 Mermaid


I have to say that UF continues to be one of the freshest, funniest strips it has ever been my pleasure to view. Illiad and the gang have done a remarkable job, as usual. I am thrilled to see the quality of work (and humor) has not diminished in the slightest. They are simply, without a doubt, the best...
I have to say, though...well, DRAT! I have been following the advice on how to be an Evil Genuis, which is so nicely laid out in this book, for 2 weeks and *not one person* has noticed! (Evidently they are not moved by my horrid accent.) Argh! I have also noticed that the 'world domination strategy' was a little vague. I need more direction to become Ruler of the World!! SO!! Hurry up with the next offering!
Mermaid

Media Reviews

"The comic strip User Friendly has quickly reached cult status amongst UNIX administrators, programmers, and users. Why is this the case? Illiad has a knack for depicting graphically what's on everyone's mind-that the world of computers has gone completely to hell. So, into this crazy world of uncommon common sense, powerless power-users, and maniacal management, Illiad throws his irreverent, witty sense of humor. Just about everyone is familiar with User Friendly, but oddly enough, many people don't realize that Illiad's wonderful comic strip has actually been published, and twice at that! Yes, you can now read User Friendly offline in the luxury of your home! Evil Geniuses is, front-to-back, nothing but delightful User Friendly comic strips. If the mere thought of having offline access to User Friendly makes your toes tingle (even if you won't admit it), then you are in for a treat. Illiad's humor practically seeps through the book as you move from page to page. " --Dustin Puryear, 32bitsonline.com, Sept 2000 "Remember Dilbert in the early days? UF has a similar feel, except the jokes are about Linux distribution wars, Quake III weirdness, and, hey, lots and lots of caffeine. If you're a serious geek, chances are you'll be left ROTFL." -- Patrick Norton, TechTV, April 22, 2000

"For those who've now reached intellectual saturation with Perl, I recommend checking out Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell: A User Friendly Guide to World Domination....a little humorous stimulation is usually the best for overcoming technical overload!" --John Joyce, Scientific Computing and Instrumentation, Sept 2000

"a funny, sophisticated series of plots and subplots that illustrates the conflict of interest between upper management and marketing and those who truly know what they're doing. It's a great find for computer geeks." --Pam Whatley, Lake Computing, Sept 2000

"Looking for a collection of high-tech humor like nothing else you've seen before? Pick up a copy of Evil Geniuses In A Nutshell." -- Mike Madson, Computer Bits, June 2000

"More laughter provoking episodes provided by Illiad. The assortment of comic strips include something for everyone: tech support, programmers, system administrators, and gaming enthusiasts. Illiad's witty approach to topical subjects creates a reflection of the Open Source community which is unique, insightful, and side-splitting." --Elizabeth Zinkann, Sys Admin, July 2000

"Smart and quirky, Illiad's cartoons cut through market-speak with laugh-out-loud humour, documenting the idiosyncrasies of a subculture that's moving fast into the mainstream eye. --Tamsin Todd, amazon.co.uk, May 2000

"One of the characteristics of healthy cultures is that they can poke fun at themselves. I guess the hacker culture is in good health, because User Friendly is hilarious. Its irreverence, sophisticated in-jokes and surrealistic edge are a rocket straight out of the Internet's collective unconscious." --Eric S. Raymond, ubergeek

"...the cartoon is so insightful and captures the essence of today's web industry so brilliantly that it's definitely going to be big." --Nina Furu, columnist, digi.no

"User Friendly has my sides splitting daily. Illiad has taken a step that no one else has done by doing a strip for the Un*x/Geek community thats funny and cute." --Trae McCombs, manager, themes.org

"User Friendly has something that no other cartoon has, the ability to not only be funny, but be exactly like events at your own work. In fact sometimes you think life would be better if you worked for Columbia Internet." - Scott James Remnant, Editor, segfault.org


"It is a funny, sophisticated series of plots and subplots involving a "dust puppy" who was born inside a mega-server, and is involved with a neurotic Internet Service Provider staff Simply put, Evil Geniuses illustrates the conflict of interest between upper management and marketing, and those who truly know what they are doing. It is a great find for computer geeks, who may see themselves in the characters." -Lake Computing, September 1, 2000

"Let's stand up and cheer O'Reilly for publishing J.D. "Illiad" Frazer's collection of "User Friendly" comic strips. It's a badly needed break from the medium of all those serious technical books. This geekly guide to World Domination will rattle your brain cells and clear the air around your monitor. Toss aside your keyboard and guffaw for the hell of it. Have a chuckle break and some inspired digital giggles. Besides, man can't live by Dilbert alone." --Derek Pell, www.dingbatmag.com, September 2000

"So, into this crazy world of uncommon common sense, powerless power-users, and maniacal management, Illiad throws his irreverent, witty sense of humor. Just about everyone is familiar with User Friendly, but oddly enough, many people don't realize that Illiad's wonderful comic strip has actually been published, and twice at that! Yes, you can now read User Friendly offline in the luxury of your home! Evil Geniuses is, front-to-back, nothing but delightful User Friendly comic strips. If the mere thought of having offline access to User Friendly makes your toes tingle (even if you won't admit it), then you are in for a treat. Illiad's humor practically seeps through the book as you move from page to page. (Well, except for Dust Puppy, who is just plain odd.)" --Dustin Puryear, 32bitsonline, Sept. 2000