BKUSUUCP.RVW   930727

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"Using UUCP and Usenet", Todino/Dougherty

Another of the excellent "nutshell" books, this one targets the users of uucp
and the related utilities.  The level is quite technical - but then, users of
uucp are pretty much bound to be technical themselves, unless their "use" is
limited to preprogrammed scripts.

Chapter one is an introduction to uucp and networks (versions of uucp having
been covered in the Preface).  Using mail as an example, network routing and
"bang paths" are explained.  Chapter two deals with file transfers, and covers
"permissions" and security aspects.  Chapter three explains the "remote"
execution of commands while five details remote login.  Chapter four covers the
matter of checking on the status of requests.  Chapter six, "Extending the UUCP
Network", extends chapter one.

Chapters seven, eight and nine deal with Usenet, and the reading and posting of
"news".  I hesitate to criticize this section: aside from the rapid dating of
the material it is both accurate and consistent with the rest of the book. 
However, with the rapid increase in both the size and usage of Usenet, it is
perhaps time, and past time, for a separate explanation of news and news
readers.  The basics are all contained here, but a work aimed at the "bulletin
board" level user would currently find a very large audience.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993   BKUSUUCP.RVW   930727
 
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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
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Oct. '94) Springer-Verlag