Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 02:48:25 -0600 (MDT) From: "Rob Slade, Ed. DECrypt & ComNet, VARUG rep, 604-984-4067" Subject: "Basics Book of Information Networking" BKBSIFNT.RVW 931125 Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. Kelly Ford, Promotion/Publicity Coordinator P.O. Box 520 26 Prince Andrew Place Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948 or Tiffany Moore, Publicity tiffanym@aw.com John Wait, Editor, Corporate and Professional Publishing johnw@aw.com 1 Jacob Way Reading, MA 01867-9984 800-822-6339 617-944-3700 Fax: (617) 944-7273 5851 Guion Road Indianapolis, IN 46254 800-447-2226 "The Basics Book of Information Networking", 0-201-56370-3 Ten years ago, this book was known as, "The Basics Book of Data Communications." The preface describes it as an industry primer. A number of other "Basics Books" have sprung from it on specialized topics, and this new version is the "basic" book of the new series. In general terms, the book does reasonably well as a primer. The tone is light, with a fair bit of humour thrown in, as well as cartoon illustrations of many points. I doubt, however, that completely non-technical managers who need to get a minimal background overview of data communications will be entirely comfortable with it. Although it makes fun of other texts as being written from the perspective of someone with three degrees in computer science, it is entirely clear, despite any efforts taken to modify the fact, that this was written by engineers. At the same time, there are occasional problems with the material presented. While there are no overt errors, there are very possible sources of confusion, as when the discussion of"smart" and "dumb" terminals seems to relate the two classes to block versus character based transmission. The OSI model of data communications layers is discussed under the topic of X.25 and packet switching, and may contribute to a misunderstanding of the purpose of a layered model. The strongest emphasis is on "point-to-point" networking--in other words, the connection of terminals or computers in related, but geographically dispersed, offices. However, as a short and reasonably fundamental introduction to data communications, it has its uses. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKBSIFNT.RVW 931125 Permission granted to distribute with unedited copies of the Digest ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 DECUS Symposium '94, Vancouver, BC, Mar 1-3, 1994, contact: rulag@decus.ca