Green Computing and Green IT Best Practices on Regulations and Industry Initiatives, Virtualization, Power Management, Materials Recycling and Telecommuting [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Save yourself time and money - no need to even read the rest of this review - *do not buy this book*. Please instead go buy 'Green IT' Green IT: Reduce Your Information System's Environmental Impact While Adding to the Bottom Line by Velte, Velte and Elsenpeter. Full disclosure - I'm in no way connected with that book or its authors - I'm just reading it right now.

I bought this book (Green Computing and Green IT Best Practices) without the benefit of a recommendation, review or preview. As soon as I opened it, I was puzzled but the introductory comments: "This book is not about Green IT's best practice
and standard details. Instead it introduces you to everything you wanted to know to be successful with Green IT". The title includes "best practices".

I read one or two articles and within 5 minutes I knew I was wasting my time and money. It supposedly sets out 100 'success secrets'. Each 'secret' is almost exactly 1 page long with a few more lines which go onto the next page. Thus 100 'secrets' manage to fill almost 200 pages. The 'secrets' have fancy sounding names like "Organisation change management: catalysing change through policy and example", but then go on to provide some generalised 'piffle' which does nothing to support the title or provide any value to the reader. Often these 'secrets' overlap each other in the very general content and often have little or no relationship to Green IT. eg:

"Grid Documentation in ppt Format:
In every project that is completed, it is mandatory that a documentation is provided to the project owner. The documentation shall serve as the proof, manual, and point of reference of the whole project that has culminated. The documentation format may come in various formats. One of the leading formats that project makers are using is the ppt format. A ppt format is a file that is generated when it use the PowerPoint application software as the source in developing the documentation.

. . . Invariably, there are project owners who prefer to have a pdf file . . . because of the maximum ability of this Adobe file to generate a rather large documentation file." It continues in the same manner throughout the book.

I've run a Green IT consultancy for over 2 years and have been involve in IT up to a senior management level for almost 20 years and I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing of value in this book - it's not worth the paper it's printed on.

What confirmed my suspicions is that that is no introduction to the author, no indication of the publishing company, no contact details of any kind, no index or references - just the confusing intro (see above) and then straight into the text. The level of writing is so poor that it's almost unreadable, there are numerous spelling and other mistakes - for example it refers to "Al Gore's Inconceivable Truth" and the content is a mass of generalisations about business management which one might expect to find in fortune cookies.

If I were to be charitable - I'd guess it was written by someone with a little general knowledge about IT who tried hard (but failed) to write a useful book. My honest opinion is that this book is a cynical, opportunist piece designed to make a few dollars out of a market in which Green IT publications are as yet few and far between.

Apologies for the tirade of negative comments - I just felt that I had to warn other folks. This really is the worst book I ever bought on any topic, in my life.

I'd give it -ve star rating, but it appears that this system only allows a min of one star.

I made the mistake of buying this book without reading any reviews. I am not a book-guru, but I've read a lot of books in my time. I have to admit, this is the worst. Bad English, misleading content, and classic starting paragraph that states this book is "not" about Green IT Best Practices (part of the title).

It's Christmas, it's cold, and I'm throwing it in my fire for comfort.

I wish I had scrolled down and read the reviews before purchasing. I can't imagine reading this book after reading the first 2 page chapter: "The Role of the Computer Consultants in Propagating Green Computing." The language is stilted and no money or time was spent on proof reading. Here is a nonsensical passage from the first page of text, page 12:

"Thus, the need to educate and these people about green computing is a necessity in order to fully maximize the people's awareness regarding the study on how they can save computing resources for their computing activities."

I am hoping to return this book. I can't believe Amazon can sell this for $18!! There are no footnotes, no references, and as the previous reviewer noted, no information about the author. I use that term author loosely.