Games of Daze/Infomagic - Games of Daze (Summer 1995) (Disc 1 of 2).iso/x2ftp/msdos/reviews/robslade.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-09-04 | 47KB

From [e-mail] Wed Aug 31 23:24:27 1994
From: [e-mail] (Rob Slade, Ed. DECrypt & ComNet, VARUG rep, 604-984-4067)
Newsgroups: alt.books.reviews,alt.books.technical,biz.books.technical,misc.books.technical
Subject: Book review index
Date: 29 Aug 1994 10:26:08 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: news.cs.utexas.edu

                               Book review index

This is a listing of (mostly technical) book reviews.  The initial coding is
the review file name (and approximate size of the file): this is followed by
the name of the book and author(s) and a very brief description.  (Some
versions of this file may also contain listings of software reviews.)

BK101UDC RVW  1248 "101 Uses for a Dead Computer", Wahlstrom, 1992, 0-672-
                   48540-0, U$7.95/C$9.95 - cute, but a few useful suggestions
                   as well
BK2NDCNT RVW  2832 "Second Contact", Resnick - fiction about hacking for data,
                   some reasonable database security stuff
BKABCLAN RVW  5439 "The ABC's of Local Area Networks", Dortch - practical, but
                   somewhat limited in detail, good intro for small LAN
BKADOLP1 RVW  1484 "The Adolescence of P-1", Ryan, 1977 - fiction, my personal
                   favourite of the classic "computer virus" stories
BKALEXPK RVW  1798 "Artificial Life Explorer's Kit", Thro, 1993, 0-672-30301-9,
                   U$24.95/C$31.95 - good fun, but little analysis
BKALFRPO RVW  1469 "Assembly Language: For Real Programmers Only", Johnson,
                   1993, 0-672-48470-6, U$44.95/C$56.95 - MASM source and
                   reference lists
BKA-LIFE RVW  4116 "Artificial Life", Levy, 1992, 0-679-73489-8,
                   U$13.00/C$17.00 - an interesting wander through fields
                   studying artificial life but no strong points
BKAMGTMN RVW  2012 "A manager's guide to multivendor networks", Enck - like it
                   says
BKBASSB  RVW  3792 "Building a Successful Software Business", Radin, 1994, 1-
                   56592-064-3, U$19.95 - the usual generic advice
BKBBS4BS RVW  6728 "Bulletin Board Systems for Business", Wood/Blankenhorn -
                   very PC oriented (COM932)
BKBNABCM RVW  2395 "Broadband Networking ABCs for Managers", Davidson, 1994, 0-
                   471-61954-X, U$29.95 - handy resume of the new comm
                   technologies, but primarily for the tech aware
BKBSC2C  RVW  1824 "Leaping From BASIC to C++", Traister, 1994, 0-12-697421-7 -
                    helpful start to learning C++, but BASIC can't take you far
BKBSECCS RVW  4880 "Building a Secure Computer System", Gasser - heavy on
                   technical, particularly secure hardware
BKBSFRRL RVW  1850 "The Basics Book of Frame Relay", 0-201-56377-0 - Motorola
                   Codex on Frame Relay (but not very)
BKBSIFNT RVW  2127 "The Basics Book of Information Networking", 0-201-56370-3 -
                    Motorola Codex on point-to-point links
BKBSTJIR RVW  1187 "The Best of The Journal of Irreproducible Results", Scherr,
                   1983, 0-89480-595-9, U$10.95 - guaranteed giggles regardless
                   of your field
BKBSX25  RVW  1386 "The Basics Book of X.25 Packet Switching", 0-201-56369-X -
                   Motorola Codex on packet switching
BKBURGER RVW 11277 "Computer Viruses and Data Protection", Burger - poorly
                   written with little solid information, some viral programs
                   in source code
BKCGTWFW RVW  1848 "Concise Guide to Windows for Workgroups", Jamsa, 1993, 1-
                   55615-505-0, C$17.95 - rehash of the most basic docs
BKCHMERA RVW  6469 "Chimera", Rosenblum, 1993, 0-345-38528-4, US$4.99/CDN$5.99
                   - fiction, examines virtual reality and network
                   "telecommuting"
BKCLRSWK RVW  1269 "ClarisWorks Companion", Sosinsky, 1994, 1-56830-083-2,
                   U$14.95/C$19.95 - nice docs but no more
BKCMCOOP RVW  3668 "Communications for Cooperating Systems", Cypser - IBM
                   biased view of OSI and TCP/IP
BKCMPETH RVW  1492 "Computer Ethics", Johnson, 1994, 0-13-290339-3 - the basic
                   work in the field, thorough coverage and good discussion
                   starter
BKCMPSEC RVW  5779 "Computer Security Basics", Russell/Gangemi - good overview,
                   but some problems (SEC931)
BKCMRLCR RVW  1257 "Computer Related Crime", 1-55950-027-1, U$10.00 - pretty
                   banal but not completely inaccurate overview of computer
                   crime
BKCMVRCR RVW  3662 "Computer Virus Crisis", Fites/Johnston/Kratz - somewhat
                   sloppy and a number of errors
BKCNTCRP RVW  1235 "Contemporary Cryptology", Simmons, 1991, 0-87942-277-7 -
                   thorough collection of theoretical essays
BKCONINT RVW  4132 "Connecting to the Internet", Estrada - good reference for
                   contact with Internet providers, hopefully to be improved in
                   future versions
BKCPTETH RVW  3961 "Computer Ethics", Forester/Morrison, 1994, 0-262-56073-9 -
                   lots of great stories, but short on analytical depth
BKCRSTHR RVW  3220 "Crossing the Internet Threshold", Tennant/Ober/Lipow,
                   1882208013, U$45.00 - good basic introduction and reference
                   sheets, handy materials for training, library emphasis
BKCSIBGD RVW  1678 "93 Computer Security Products Buyers Guide" - excellent
                   first start when looking for security products
BKCSVCIM RVW  1676 "Compuserve CIM Running Start", Campbell, 1993,
                   U$17.95/C$22.95 - if you need help with WinCIM, you need
                   help
BKCURRY  RVW  3171 "Unix System Security - A Guide for Users and System
                   Administrators", Curry - not as good as Spafford/Garfinkel
                   (SEC932)
BKCYBRSP RVW  5243 "Cyberspace: First Steps", Benedikt, 1991, 0-262-52177-6,
                   U$18.95 - concentrating almost solely on the virtual reality
                   aspects, multidisciplinary essays with little technical
                   background but a few interesting ideas
BKDCADN  RVW  1757 "Data Communications and Distributed Networks", Black,
                   U$56, 0-13-203464-6 - good overview with some practical
                   extensions
BKDCMN&S RVW  2794 "Data Communications , Networks, and Systems", Bartee, 1991,
                   0-672-22790-8, U$49.95/C$64.95 - somewhat unfocussed series
                   of essays on basic concepts
BKDEC22  RVW  1756 "Dec 22", Romano, 1993, 1-884514-16-2, U$14.95 + 1.50p&h - a
                   years worth of dreams from Christopher Dante Romano.  First
                   of a series.
BKDECWRK RVW  2603 "Digital At Work", Pearson, 1992, 1-55558-092-0 - promo
                   history of Digital Equipment Corp 1957-1992
BKDEDMAC RVW  3614 "The Dead Mac Scrolls", Pina - diagnosis guide for Mac
                   hardware
BKDEMAN  RVW  3069 "!%@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and
                   Networks", Frey/Adams, 1-56592-046-5, U$9.95 - valuable
                   reference on email details between networks as well as a
                   terrific resource for finding companies and institutions on
                   the net
BKDENING RVW  8118 "Computers Under Attack", Denning, ed. - collection of
                   essays roughly related to security, also "the net"
BKDGTLWO RVW  6883 "Digital Woes", Wiener, 1993, 0-201-62609-8, U$22.95/C$29.95
                   - excellent introduction to the risks of software
BKDMGTOU RVW  8012 Dr. Macintosh's Guide to the On-Line Universe,
                   LeVitus/Ihnatko - somewhat flippant but very thorough
                   introduction to computer communications regardless of system
BKDOSINT RVW  2049 "A DOS User's Guide to the Internet", Gardner, 1994, 0-13-
                   106873-3 - a minimalist software package and manual for
                   setting up a UUCP connection for mail and news
BKDRSVEN RVW  1328 "Dr. Solomon's Virus Encyclopedia", Solomon, 1992, 1-897661-
                   00-2 - good listing of MS-DOS viral programs
BKDRVINF RVW  2084 "Driving the Infohighway", Neufeld, 1994, 0-920436-54-4,
                   C$24.95 - site specific guide, but excellent work
BKDSINTL RVW  2026 "DOS Internals", Chappell, 1994, 0-201-60835-9 - solid
                   stuff, with some gaps
BKDSKSOL RVW  1742 "Desperately Seeking Solutions", Kerwien, 1993, 1-56830-009-
                   3, U$29.95/C$37.95 - good ideas for a guide, but the
                   material needs work
BKDTCMDC RVW  2912 "Data Communications & Networking Dictionary", Pardoe/Wenig
                   - a basic glossary, not overly biased, not overly complete
BKDTXINF RVW  1417 "Digital Transmission of Information", Blahut, 0-201-06880-X
                   - mathematical study of using analogue waveforms for digital
                   streams
BKECOLNK RVW  4205 "Ecolinking", Rittner - good catalogue of where to find
                   help, resources and other people
BKEFFPRS RVW  2461 "Effective Business and Technical Presentations",
                   Morrisey/Sechrest, 1987, 0-201-15852-3 - good solid intro
                   and overview for both beginners and experts who want to keep
                   sharp
BKEMAIL  RVW  4066 "E-Mail", Caswell - good business proposal, but limited and
                   dated
BKETHICS RVW  4331 "Computers, ethics and society", Ermann/Williams/Gutierrez -
                   textbook for computer ethics course: not great
BKETHPKT RVW  2529 "Ethernet Pocket Guide", Spinney, 1994, 1-878956-43-4, U$15
                   - big on cabling and stuff
BKETWOOS RVW  6481 "Exploring the World of Online Services", Resnick - looks at
                   Compuserve and Prodigy, very rah, rah, not much info
BKEVRMAC RVW  1872 "Everything you wanted to know about the Mac", Hanson, 1993,
                   1-56830-058-1, U$29.95/C$37.95 - good intro for beginner and
                   resource for intermediate Mac user, good writing, but holes
                   and repetitions
BKEXPINT RVW  2183 "Exploring the InterNet", Malamud, 1993, 0-13-296898-3 - not
                   a guide, not technical, but lots of fun stories about
                   travelling around the world (physically)
BKEYESTM RVW  2465 "Eye of the Storm", Gold Eagle/Worldwide - fiction, virus is
                   minor subplot
BKFANLAN RVW  2782 "Fantastic LANtastic", Talbott/Raker - good one stop
                   reference for users, managers and installers
BKFARROW RVW  3556 "Unix System Security", Farrow - basic
BKFDDIHB RVW  4748 "FDDI Handbook", Jain, 1994, 0-201-56376-2, U$49.50 - useful
                   technical information about FDDI but chauvinistic
BKFEUDO  RVW  4414 "Computer Virus Desk Reference", Feudo - collects basic
                   virus reference sources for those without online access
BKFIRDEP RVW  2626 "A Fire Upon the Deep", Vinge, 1992, 0-812-51528-5 -
                   fiction, a galactic "Usenet" is a major factor with
                   realistic "online characters"
BKFLSRUN RVW  1309 "The Fool's Run", Camp, 1989, 0-451-16712-0. U$4.95/C$5.95 -
                    good fun and a more than adequate account of tiger teams
                   and cracking (the basis for "Sneakers"?)
BKFRINSC RVW  2096 "Firewalls and Internet Security", Cheswick/Bellovin, 1994,
                   0-201-63357-4, U$26.95 - solid and practical guide for
                   building firewall machines on TCP/IP (or other networks)
BKFUTCRM RVW   919 "Future Crime", Bova, 1990, 0-812-53241-4 - fiction, short
                   story collection only one dealing (tangentially) with data
                   security
BKFUZHBK RVW  3079 "The Fuzzy Systems Handbook", Cox, 1994, 0-12-194270-8 -
                   good conceptual and practical introduction to fuzzy logic
                   and systems programming
BKGARGVR RVW  2004 "Garage Virtual Reality", Jacobson, 1994, 0-672-30270-5,
                   U$29.95/C$37.95 - fun and practical introduction for the
                   hobbyist interested in working in virtual reality
BKGDPCNT RVW  1990 "Insider's Guide to Personal Computing & Networking", Segal,
                   1992, 0-672-30180-6, U$29.95/C$37.95 - pretty banal puff
                   pieces from "names" in the industry
BKGEMACS RVW  2170 "Learning GNU Emacs", Cameron/Rosenblatt, 1992, 0-937175-84-
                   6 - good introduction to the editor, and for those who know
                   the editor a good introduction to the environment
BKGIGNET RVW  3564 "Gigabit Networking", Partridge - good overview of some of
                   the latest hot topics in comms
BKGLBLNT RVW  4532 "Global Networks", Harasim, 1993, 0-262-08222-5, U$29.95 -
                   broad ranging topics but limited and uninteresting papers on
                   the use of computer mediated communications
BKGLBTCH RVW  7883 "Globalization, Technology and Competition",
                   Bradley/Hausman/Nolan - what business thinks about
                   technology and communications - not much
BKGTONLN RVW  3091 "Get On-Line!", Wood, 1993, 0-471-58926-8 - general intor to
                   PC/modem communications, still not very good
BKHACKRS RVW  2943 "Hackers", Levy, 1984, 0-385-31210-5 - entertaining but
                   trivial and limited collection of anecdotes about two of the
                   many hacker communities
BKHARLIE RVW  3344 "When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One", Gerrold, 1972/1988 - fiction,
                   often cited as first fictional reference to a computer virus
BKHBNTCN RVW  1609 "The Handbook of Networking and Connectivity", McClain,
                   1994, 0-12-482080-8 - single chapter "quick courses" on
                   networking topics, generally for the technical professional
                   with little telecom background
BKHGHLND RVW  5286 "Computer Virus Handbook", Highland - good overview,
                   unfortunately somewhat dated
BKHGTWFW RVW  4648 "Hacker's Guide to Word For Windows", Leonhard/Chen -
                   necessary information to augment Word for Windows with its
                   bugs and documentation
BKHKRCRK RVW  2413 "The Hacker Crackdown", Sterling, 1992, 0-553-56370-X -
                   collection of the stories surrounding Operation Sundevil in
                   1990, not analytical but entertaining
BKHODGE  RVW  2393 "Rid Me of This Virus!", Hodge - short, uneven material,
                   perhaps a good pamphlet
BKHOFMAN RVW  5768 "Rogue Programs", Hoffman, ed. - good collection of essays
BKHPRTXT RVW  1783 "Hypertext & Hypermedia", Nielsen, 1993, 0-12-518411-5 - a
                   good, if enthusiastic, introduction to a poorly documented
                   field
BKHRUSKA RVW  4664 "Computer Viruses and Anti-Virus Warfare", Hruska, 0-13-
                   036377-4 - MS-DOS specific, technically reasonable but
                   commentary very suspect
BKHTHGRP RVW  2270 "The Hawthorne Group", Hauser - fiction, supposedly high
                   tech thriller.  Yawn.
BKIBMPC  RVW  2622 "The IBM Personal Computer From the Inside Out", Sargent,
                   1986, 0-201-06918-0, U$26.95/C$34.95 - BIOS/Intel/MS-DOS
                   hardware and software at the lowest levels of the machine
BKILOBYT RVW  4410 "Kill-o-byte", Anthony, 1993, 0-441-44425-3 - fiction,
                   unreal version of gaming and virtual reality
BKINSINT RVW  3513 "The Instant Internet Guide", Heslop/Angell, 1994, 0-201-
                   62707-8 - quick intro to the Internet that leans rather too
                   heavily on pine and tin
BKINTBOK RVW  3356 "The Internet Book:  Everything You Need to Know About
                   Computer Networking and How the Internet Works", Comer -
                   very good explanation of what the Internet is, how it works
                   and how it came about, all at a level for the non-technical
                   reader
BKINTCMP RVW  5422 "The Internet Companion", LaQuey/Ryer - short and quick, not
                   many helps and sometimes too many details, passable intro
BKINTCON RVW  2617 "The Internet Connection: System Connectivity and
                   Configuration", Carl-Mitchell/Quarterman, 0-201-54237-4 - a
                   road map for getting your system connected to the Internet.
                   Doesn't have everything you need, but as least has pointers
                   to it
BKINTDCM RVW  7280 "Introduction to data communications", Gelber - bad start,
                   good contents later
BKINTDUM RVW  5262 "Internet for Dummies", Levine/Baroudi, 1993, 1-56884-024-1,
                   U$19.95/C$26.95 - good basics, strong "whole Internet" bias
BKINTGST RVW  1648 "Internet:  Getting Started", Marine et al, 1994, 0-13-
                   289596-X - good list of contacts, but not so good on
                   explanations
BKINTMLS RVW  3475 "Internet: Mailing Lists", Hardie/Neou, 1994, 0-13-289661-3
                   - selected, and not terribly well indexed, but well
                   described list of lists
BKINTMSG RVW  1126 "The Internet Message", Rose, 1993, 0-13-092941-7 -
                   technical discussion of mail agent and system design
BKINTNAV RVW  2733 "The Internet Navigator", Gilster, 1993, 0-471-59782-1,
                   U$24.95 - general introductory guide, good list of Internet
                   accessible resource guides, very well written and balanced
BKINTPAG RVW  1357 "Internet Public Access Guide", Hughes, 1994, 0-916151-70-0,
                   U$2.95 - handy introductory pamphlet but not much more
BKINTPRM RVW  2910 "Internet Primer for Information Professionals",
                   Lawley/Summerhill, 1993, 0-88736-831-X, U$29.95/C$37.50 -
                   too low level, but a good chapter on applications
BKINTPSP RVW  3911 "Internet Passport", Kochmer - slow start but solid research
                   on Internet resources and facilities
BKINTRCN RVW  1603 "Interconnections", Perlman, 1992, 0-201-56332-0 - complete
                   coverage of one of the most difficult problems in "inter"
                   networking
BKINTRFC RVW  2782 "The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design", Laurel, 1990,
                   0-201-51797-3, U$28.95/C$37.95 - passable intro to the field
                   but very elementary
BKINTSKM RVW  3071 "Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh", Engst, 1993, 1-56830-
                   064-6, U$29.95/C$37.995 - very friendly Internet
                   introduction regardless of system and containing helpful Mac
                   software
BKINTSYS RVW  3175 "Internet System Handbook", Lynch/Rose - essays by people
                   involved with the Internet, strong on protocols, weak on
                   direction
BKINTTCP RVW  3105 "Internetworking with TCP/IP", Comer/Stevens - good
                   overview, also good basic network comm concepts
BKINTUNL RVW  3631 "The Internet Unleashed", various, 1994, 0-672-30466-X,
                   U$44.95/C$58.95 - massive, but very uneven material
BKIPCHRD RVW  2490 "The Indispensable PC Hardware Book", Messmer, 1994, 0-201-
                   62426-9 - very complete reference to the lowest level
                   hardware components (chips and pinouts, rather than cards
                   and peripherals)
BKIPEDOS RVW  1182 "In Plain English DOS", Nimersheim, 1993, 1-56664-029-6,
                   U$9.95/C$12.95 - reasonably short introduction and fairly
                   well chosen set of commands, some extraneous material and
                   some possible problems
BKIPEWIN RVW  1926 "In Plain English:  Windows 3.1", Nimersheim, 1993, 1-56664-
                   007-5, U$9.95/C$12.95 - do we really need another short
                   extraction/rehash of the Windows documentation?
BKISPME  RVW  2110 "Information Security Policies Made Easy", Wood, 1994, 1-
                   881585-01-8, U$495.00 - expensive, but if it is the
                   difference between having a security policy and not having
                   one it's worth it
BKITSALV RVW  3084 "It's Alive!", Cohen, 1994, 0-471-00860-5, U$39.95 - an
                   intriguing, provoking and practical exploration of computer
                   programs as "artificial life", but somewhat narrow
BKJURPRK RVW  2814 "Jurassic Park", Crichton, 1990, 0-345-37077-5 - fiction,
                   good read but mistakes in DNA, computers and boats
BKKANE   RVW  2494 "PC Security and Virus Protection Handbook", Kane, 1994, 1-
                   55851-390-6, U$39.95/C$49.95 - good overview for the MS-DOS
                   arena
BKKERMIT RVW  3203 "Kermit: a File Transfer Protocol", da Cruz - excellent text
                   for anyone interested in computer communications, protocols
                   or even Kermit
BKKRNSHL RVW  2131 "Learning the Korn Shell", Rosenblatt, 1993, 1-56592-054-6 -
                    a good intro to UNIX for the computer familiar
BKKROL   RVW  4616 "The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog", Krol, 1994,
                   1-56592-063-5, U$24.95 - excellent introduction to the
                   Internet as well as resource for experienced users
BKLERNVI RVW  1962 "Learning the vi Editor", Lamb, 1990, 0-937175-67-6 -
                   excellent introduction to take away the fear of vi
BKLEVIN  RVW  3793 "Computer Virus Handbook", Levin - vague and undisciplined
BKLNSCNW RVW  2516 "LAN Desktop Guide to Security, NetWare Edition", Sawicki,
                   1992, 0-672-30085-0, U$27.95/C$34.95 - good inside info on
                   NetWare, but a trifle paranoid
BKLRNPRL RVW  2429 "Learning Perl", Schwartz - good introduction to the
                   language, but not very motivating
BKLRNUNX RVW  2169 "Learning the UNIX Operating System", Todino/Strang/Peek,
                   1993, 1-56592-060-0 - like it says.  Short and to the point.
BKLTLDOS RVW  2294 "The Little DOS 6 Book", Nelson, 1993, 1-56609-056-3,
                   U$13.00/C$18.00 - good intro to DOS to the intermediate
                   level, heavy on DOSSHELL
BKLTLMAC.RVW  2057 "The Little Mac Book", Williams, 1993, 1-56609-052-0,
                   U$16/C$23 - good basic Mac beginners book
BKLUDWIG RVW  6838 "Little Black Book of Computer Viruses", Ludwig - MS-DOS
                   specific, not very accurate, viral source code
BKLUNDEL RVW  4304 "Virus!", Lundell - a lot of research, but a lot of errors
                   as well
BKLVYRJB RVW  5527 "Love Your Job", Powers/Russell, 1993, 1-56592-036-8 -
                   fairly standard advice, presented in as interesting fashion
BKMACBIB RVW  2523 "The Macintosh Bible", Naiman et al, 1993, 1-56609-009-1,
                   U$32.00/C$42.00 - the Mac source, but odd priorities
BKMACFAK RVW  1965 "Macintosh First Aid Kit", Kerwien, 1993, 1-56830-063-8,
                   U$19.95/C$24.95 - good thorough but intro level guide
BKMACPWR RVW  1280 "Mac Power Toolkit", Langer, 1993, 1-56830-002-6,
                   U$34.95/C$43.95 - reviews of Mac utilities
BKMACUND RVW  1950 "Guide to the Macintosh Underground", LeVitus/Fraase, 1993,
                   0-672-48549-4, U$19.95/C$26.95 - undisciplined, self-
                   indulgent and sometimes even illegible
BKMACUPC RVW  3306 "The Mac User's PC/The PC User's Mac", Marmel, 1993, 0-672-
                   48545-1, U$24.95/C$31.95 - simplistic guide to both
                   machines, very little help in crossing platforms
BKMALSTL RVW  4540 "The Elements of E-mail Style", Angell, 1994, 0-201-62709-4,
                   U$12.95/C$16.95 - an English writing reference, with little
                   relevance to email
BKMANUCP RVW  2114 "Managing uucp and Usenet", O'Reilly/Todino - clear and
                   complete overview
BKMATRIX RVW  7009 "The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems
                   Worldwide", Quarterman - almost everything you ever wanted
                   to know about "inter" networks
BKMC4MRN RVW  1441 "Macs 4 Morons", Boyce, 1993, 1-56830-077-8, U$12.95 - if
                   you need an intro Mac guide, this one starts in the right
                   place
BKMCAFEE RVW  5668 "Computer Viruses, Worms, Data Diddlers, Killer Programs and
                   Other Threats to Your System", McAfee/Haynes - some
                   interesting speculations buried in a mass of undisciplined
                   garbage
BKMDMDUM RVW  4695 "Modems for Dummies", Rathbone, 1993, 1-56884-001-2,
                   U$16.95/C$21.95/UK#14.99 - disappointing regarding setup,
                   but good overview of online options (who to call)
BKMDMREF RVW  4939 "The Modem Reference", Banks - fairly complete overview, but
                   with errors and without much organization
BKMGENIE RVW  5560 "Glossbrenner's Master Guide to GEnie", Glossbrenner -
                   somewhat dated with the changes in the system, but still
                   very useful
BKMKTXWK RVW  1453 "Making TeX Work", Walsh, 1994, 1-56592-051-1, U$29.95 -
                   obtaining, installing and running TeX and utilities
BKMOVMRS RVW  2588 "Moving Mars", Bear, 1993, 0-312-85515-X, U$23.95 - fiction,
                   remarkably unscientific "hard" sf, mostly about clash of
                   cultures
BKMSDOSB RVW  2127 "MS-DOS Bible", Simrin, 1991, 0-672-22789-4, U$29.95/C$37.95
                   - a good thorough introduction to DOS for those starting out
                   and wanting to understand and use it.  Technical level
                   varies widely at some points, and a hefty tome for those
                   only wanting to know how to start the word processor.
BKMSSRCM RVW  2683 "Mastering Serial Communications", Gofton, 1994, 0-7821-
                   1202-1 - uneven but reasonably good "advanced user" level
                   coverage of COM ports on PCs
BKMSTCWR RVW  2483 "Mastering Technical Writing", Mancuso, 1990, 0-201-52350-7
                   - sound step by step guide to starting or improving
                   technical writing of all kinds
BKMSTNVL RVW  4432 "Mastering Novell Netware", Currid/Gillett - a very *basic*
                   intro to Novell
BKMSUNCM RVW  4464 "Mastering UNIX Serial Communications", Gofton - good, but
                   very brief, intro to serial comm and some UNIX programs
BKNAISDV RVW  1437 "Naissance d'un virus", Ludwig translated by Condat - French
                   translation of Ludwig's "Little Black Book"
BKNAVINT RVW  4944 "Navigating the Internet", Gibbs/Smith, 0-672-30362-0,
                   U$24.95/C$31.95 - another introductory guide, oddly
                   dependent upon BITNET, some handy resource guides
BKNETPWR RVW  1574 "Netpower", Persson, 1993, 1-56523-031-0, U$39.95 - a
                   resource guide covering both commercial and non-commercial
                   networks and systems, primarily directed at educators
BKNHACKD RVW  2453 "The New Hacker's Dictionary", Raymond, 1993, 0-262-68079-3,
                   U$14.95 - excellent introduction not only to hacker language
                   but also culture and society
BKNOTCON RVW  7460 "You Must Not Let Them Con You! There's Too Much at Stake",
                   Shapiro, 1993, U$30 - con laden book on how to spot when
                   people are misleading you - more negative than positive
BKNSDNAV RVW  2298 "Inside the Norton Antivirus", Norton/Nielsen, 1992, 0-13-
                   473463-7 - not much good as a general guide, plus outdated
                   docs for NAV
BKNTAPUN RVW  1351 "Networking Applications of UNIX System V", Padovano, 1993,
                   0-13-613555-2 - good text for the specific system
BKNTINTG RVW  1458 "Network Interface Technical Guide" - lists important data
                   for any and all network cards, invaluable for LAN admins
BKNTLNAN RVW  1783 "Novell's Guide to Netware LAN Analysis", Chappell, 1993,
                   0-7821-1143-2, U$29.95/C$39.95 - good "cookbook"
                   troubleshooting reference for those with Ethernet LANs (also
                   should be considered in planning)
BKNTNATN RVW  3508 "The Network Nation", Hiltz/Turoff, 1978/1993, 0-262-58120-
                   5, U$24.95 - excellent analysis of society as molded by
                   computer mediated communications, a classic but still
                   visionary
BKNTQUTT RVW  3868 "Netiquette", Shea, 1994, 0-9637025-1-3, U$19.95 - good
                   collection of the "received wisdom" on an important topic,
                   but still needs work
BKNTRFAC RVW  1573 "Interface", Bury, 1994, 0-553-37230-0, U$11.95/C$15.95 -
                   fiction, robotic Manchurian candidate again, technically
                   disappointing but a fun read
BKNTSCSE RVW  3055 "Network Security Secrets", Stang, 1993, 1-56884-021-7 -
                   practical and thorough security at the right level for most
                   LAN managers
BKNTUROM RVW  2169 "The (New) Turing Omnibus", Dewdney, 1993, 0-7167-8271-5,
                   U$24.95 - interesting and broadly based series of essays on
                   (mostly theoretical) topics in computer science
BKNTWDUM RVW  1586 "Netware for Dummies", Tittel, 1993, 1-56884-003-9 -
                   passable intro to setting up a net but too breezy for a good
                   reference
BKNTWRKS RVW  3403 "Networks," Ramteke, 1994, 0-13-958059-X - good text, good
                   overview of the whole field of networking, good backstop for
                   network experts in one field who haven't time for crossover
                   training
BKNTWTRB RVW  2729 "Netware Troubleshooting", Hader, 1991, 0-201-57737-2 - good
                   concept and start, but holes still to be filled
BKONIN94 RVW  2918 "On Internet 94", Dern/Abbott, 1994, 0-88736-929-4,
                   U$34.95/C$44.95 - great resource guide, but a few bugs to be
                   worked out yet
BKOPSYNT RVW  3366 "Open Systems Networking", Piscitello/Chapin - Solid
                   management and technical review of the "hot topic"
BKPCANSR RVW  1742 "The PC Answer Book",  Barrett, 1992, 0-672-30227-6,
                   U$12.95/C$16.95 - friendly and aimed at non-tech audience,
                   but many failings
BKPCBYGD RVW  2834 "Personal Computer Buying Guide", Pearson, 1990/1993, 0-
                   89043-622-3, U$14.95/C$19.99 - some good tips, but enough
                   bad material that this would not be really helpful to the
                   first time buyer
BKPCCOMB RVW  5153 "Pournelle's PC Communications Bible", Pournelle/Banks -
                   overly verbose, not overly accurate
BKPCFAKT RVW  4814 "PC First-Aid Kit", Jerome/Taylor, 1994, 0-201-62627-6,
                   U$24.95/C$31.95 - helpful, but it misses a lot, too
BKPCINTG RVW  3947 "The PC Internet Tour Guide", Fraase, 1994, 1-56604-084-1,
                   U$24.95 - OK intro guide relying heavily on the included
                   SLIP software
BKPCPOWR RVW  2682 "PC Power", Quimby, 1993, 1-878956-30-2, U$19.00 - very
                   subjective look at PCs and software
BKPCTRBL RVW  3035 "IBM Personal Computer Troubleshooting & Repair", Brenner,
                   1989, 0-672-22662-6, U$24.95/C$31.95 - if you know most
                   simple troubleshooting already, and are technically
                   inclined, some helpful pointers at low levels of hardware
BKPCVIRS RVW  6620 "PC Viruses: Detection, Analysis and Cure", Solomon - very
                   accurate, slightly dated, somewhat demanding technically
BKPCVRCH RVW  2474 "The PC Virus Control Handbook", Jacobson, 1990, 0-87930-
                   194-5, U$24.95 - dated and uneven, but a good chapter on how
                   to deal with infections
BKPHZDBT RVW  3786 "Phaze Doubt", Anthony, 1990, 0-441-66263-3, U$5.95 -
                   fiction, in which Anthony proves he knows nothing about
                   black holes
BKPICKGD RVW  2333 "A Guide to the Pick System", Dale Dougherty - like it says,
                   intro
BKPIWTAU RVW  2071 "Practical Internetworking with TCP/IP and UNIX",
                   Carl-Mitchell/Quarterman, 0-201-58629-0, 1993 - good
                   practical first stop
BKPRTCOM RVW  4160 "Portable Communications", Banks - very little portable, but
                   some reasonable communications background
BKPRUNSC RVW  3705 "Practical UNIX Security", Garfinkel and Spafford - very
                   practical, very secure, very UNIX (SEC932)
BKPTHVIR RVW  1395 "A Pathology of Computer Viruses", Ferbrache, 1992, 0-387-
                   19610-2 - good technical overview for the serious researcher
BKPTHWRK RVW  1992 "The Complete Guide to Pathworks", Spencer - DOS and VMS
                   only, but a reasonably good overview
BKQRCNUN RVW  2070 "A Quarter Century of Unix", Salus, 1994, 0-201-54777-5,
                   U$26.95 - interesting and fun, but poorly related to present
BKQRFGRP RVW  1802 "Quick Reference to Computer Graphics Terms", Stevens, 1993,
                   0-12-668310-7 - good, solid, wide-ranging and thorough
BKRDDBSC RVW  3796 "Research Directions in Database Security", Lunt (ed.) -
                   rather generic, but a good intro to the various problems in
                   a very complex area
BKRIDINT RVW  2760 "Riding the Internet Highway", Fisher, 1993, 1-56205-192-X -
                    shorter version of online guide but no major missing parts
BKRNWBRN RVW  3662 "The Runaway Brain", Wills, 1993, 0-465-03131-5 -
                   interesting stories behind some of the recent studies in
                   human evolution but incomplete and without direction
BKRS2SOL RVW  1862 "The RS-232 Solution", Campbell, 1989, 0-89588-488-7,
                   U$24.95/C$32.95 - practical and readable, but not the full
                   spec
BKRSI    RVW  3582 "Repetitive Strain Injury", Pascarelli, 1994, 0-471-59533-0
                   - important and often misunderstood problem which can have
                   severe implications for both individuals and the industry as
                   a whole
BKSADMAC RVW  2500 "Sad Macs, Bombs, and Other Disasters", Landau, 1993, 0-201-
                   62207-6 - good basic Mac recovery and fixit book
BKSCNCMP RVW  2839 "Security in Computing", Pfleeger - reasonable textbook, but
                   some shortcomings
BKSCONSH RVW       "SCO UNIX in a Nutshell", Cutler, 1994, 1-56592-037-6,
                   U$9.95 - quick technical reference for SCO UNIX
BKSCSUHK RVW  2719 "Secrets of a Super Hacker", Fiery, 1994, 1-55950-106-5,
                   U$19.95 - oddly disjointed perspective, generally good for
                   protection awareness but no tech details
BKSGTCVR RVW  6052 "Survivor's Guide to Computer Viruses" - relatively
                   accurate, but disappointing coming from the Virus Bulletin
BKSHKWAV RVW  2582 "Shockwave Rider", John Brunner - fiction, "tapeworm" is a
                   minor but important aspect of the plot
BKSHRTVR RVW  1892 "A Short Course on Computer Viruses", Cohen, 1994, 0-471-
                   00768-4 - excellent analysis providing thorough guidance for
                   antiviral policy and procedures
BKSMILEY RVW  2704 "Smileys", David W. Sanderson/Dale Dougherty, 1993 - short,
                   mostly listing, some discussion (COM931)
BKSMLDCT RVW  1444 "The Smiley Dictionary", Seth Godin - not as complete as
                   Sanderson and Dougherty, but nicer format
BKSNCRSH RVW  4150 "Snow Crash", Stephenson, 1992, 0-553-56261-4 - fiction,
                   sound technical background for nets and programming,
                   interesting plot line about an "information virus" and funny
BKSNDMAL.RVW  3201 "sendmail", Costales/Allman/Rickert - complete overview and
                   reference on sendmail
BKSOUPPC RVW  2653 "Even You Can Soup Up and Fix PCs", Jones, 1993, 0-672-
                   30343-4, U$16.95 - not necessarily a good repair guide, but
                   a good intro to the PC and its peripherals
BKSSCREF RVW  1975 SSC UNIX and other reference pamphlets
BKSTEPSL RVW  3648 "STEPS for Implementing Local Area Networks",
                   Cauchi/Dennison - excellent questions.  No answers.
BKSTPTRK RVW  2119 "Stupid Beyond Belief PC Tricks", LeVitus/Tittel, 1992, 0-
                   201-63235-7, U$19.95 - very cute and even occasionally
                   useful
BKSTRTPC RVW  3348 "The Streetwise Guide to PCs", Jerome/Taylor, 1993, 0-201-
                   60839-1, U$14.95 - opinionated harangue against the
                   industry, but many good points
BKSVHSPC RVW  3068 "History of the Personal Computer", Veit, 1993, 1-56664-030-
                   X, U$27.95/C$32.95 - idiosyncratic review and personal
                   stories about some of the earliest hobbyist computers
BKSYBIOS RVW  2788 "System BIOS for IBM PCs, Compatibles, and EISA Computers",
                   Second Edition, Phoenix Technologies Ltd., 1991, 0-201-
                   57760-7 - reference for programming "(almost) down to the
                   metal" on PCs
BKSYSLAW RVW  3685 "Syslaw", Rose/Wallace, 1992 - legal aspects of BBSes and
                   online systems (COM932) (SEC932)
BKTAOAPS RVW  2038 "The Tao of AppleScript", Schneider, 1993?, 1-56830-075-1,
                   U$24.95/C$31.95 - good intro to an important utility, but
                   programmer rather than user oriented
BKTCHDCM RVW  4029 "Technical Aspects of Data Communications", McNamara - an
                   intro to data comm course between covers
BKTCPADM RVW  2102 "TCP/IP Network Administration", Hunt, 1992, 0-937175-82-X -
                    practical guide to TCP/IP administration and setup for both
                   LAN and Internet setups (heavy on UNIX)
BKTCPIPI RVW  1939 "TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1", Stevens, 1994, 0-201-63346-
                   9 - great text for the protocols of TCP/IP ("illustrated" by
                   examples from a real network)
BKTECHED RVW  2435 "Technical Editing", Tarutz, 1992, 0-201-56356-8 - an
                   excellent overview of, and helpful suggestions for, the
                   editing process; of use to the editor, writer or manager of
                   either
BKTERMCP RVW  3666 "termcap and terminfo", Strang/Mui/O'Reilly - good overview
                   and tutorial
BKTEXEXM RVW  1998 "TeX by Example", Borde, 1992, 0-12-117650-9 - excellent
                   tutorial using examples of various document styles
BKTIGFNU RVW  3885 "The Internet Guide for New Users", Dern, 1994, 0-07-016511-
                   4, U$27.95 - excellent introduction for serious users
BKTLSNMP RVW  1986 "Total SNMP", Harnedy, 1994, 1-878956-33-7, U$45.00 - hefty
                   reference for SNMP developers
BKTMOAWB RVW  2351 "The Mother of All Windows Books", Leonhard/Simon, 1993, 0-
                   201-62475-3 U$39.95 - lots of info, but disorganized
BKTOUE   RVW  2944 "The Online User's Encyclopedia", Aboba, 1993, 0-201-62214-
                   9 - lots of stuff from beginner to advanced, Modem setup to
                   Intenet, but could use better organization
BKTRMCMP RVW 12846 "Terminal Compromise", Schwartau - fiction, some good
                   security ideas buried in a lot of bad writing
BKTSCPPP RVW  1208 "Tom Swan's C++ Primer", Swan, 1992, 0-672-30188-1,
                   U$34.95/C$43.95 - good, positive textbook for C++
                   programming
BKTSDET  RVW  1787 "Top Secret Data Encryption Techniques", Held, 1993, 0-672-
                   30293-4, U$24.95/C$31.95 - fun and maybe useful but *not*
                   top secret.  BASIC source included.
BKUNICOD RVW  4962 "The Unicode Standard" - just like it says
BKUMASSC RVW  4709 "Using McAfee Associates Software for Safe Computing",
                   Jacobsen - printed docs for SCAN et al
BKUMSKMT RVW  5143 "Using MS-DOS Kermit", Gianone - excellent documentation for
                   MS-Kermit, excellent overview of terminal emulation and file
                   transfer in general
BKUNDCDS RVW  2583 "Undocumented DOS: A Programmer's Guide to Reserved MS-DOS
                   Functions and Data Structures", Schulman et al, 1994, 0-201-
                   63287-X, U$44.95/C$57.95 - not only good internals book, but
                   a good read, too
BKUNDCNT RVW  1260 "Understanding Computer Networks", Apple, 1989, 0-201-19773-
                   1, U$10.95/C$13.95 - short and basic quick intro to data
                   networking
BKUNDLAN RVW  2712 "Understanding Local Area Networks", Schatt, 1992, 0-672-
                   30115-6 - good broad overview and introduction for those who
                   will need to plan, but will definitely need more support to
                   be workable
BKUNDTCM RVW  2819 "Understanding Data Communications", Held, 1991, 0-672-
                   30005-2, U$24.95/C$31.95 - uneven material, emphasis on
                   engineering topics but possibly good adjunct text
BKUNDTEL RVW  2175 "Understanding Telephone Electronics", Bigelow, 1991, 0-672-
                   27350-0, U$24.95/C$31.95 - good introduction for the non-
                   telephony professional
BKUNDWRD RVW  1982 "The Underground Guide to Word for Windows", Leonhard, 1994,
                   0-201-40650-0, U$19.95/C$25.95 - hobbyist perspective, but
                   some useful stuff
BKUNDXCL RVW  1658 "The Underground Guide to Excel 5.0 for Windows",
                   Hudspeth/Lee, 1994, 0-202-40651-9, U$19.95 - background
                   stuff, but possibly not for all users
BKUNXNSH RVW  1558 "UNIX in a Nutshell", Gilly, 1992, 1-56592-001-5 - good
                   general UNIX reference, though short on communications
BKUNXNTP RVW  1546 "UNIX Network Programming", Stevens, 1990, 0-13-949876-1 -
                   very solid textbook on the subject
BKUNXNTW RVW  1271 "Unix Networking", Kochan/Wood, 1989, 0-672-48440-4,
                   U$29.95/C$38.95 - series of essays that serve as a very
                   general introduction to concepts
BKUNXSMA RVW  1880 "UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures", Schimmel, 1994, 0-
                   201-63338-8, U$47.50 - addresses the gap between OS texts
                   that don't address modern architectures and hardware books
                   that don't deal with OSes - and very well, too
BKUNXSVB RVW  1687 "UNIX System V Bible", Prata/Martin, 1987, 0-672-22562-X,
                   U$29.95/C$37.95 - good command list and descriptions, but
                   probably not biblical status
BKUPOS   RVW  4625 Unix, Posix, and Open Systems, Quarterman/Wilhelm - good
                   intro to one of the current "buzz phrases"
BKUSUUCP RVW  1548 "Using UUCP and Usenet", Todino/Dougherty - short
BKVRRLTY RVW  2318 "Virtual Reality", Wexelblat ed., 1993, 0-12-745045-9 -
                   solid and practical overview of the current state of VR,
                   essays by those working in the field
BKVRTCOM RVW  3149 "The Virtual Community", Rheingold, 1993, 0-201-60870-7 -
                   glimpses of narrow slices of the nets
BKVRTLIT RVW  1903 "Virtual Light", Gibson, 1993, 0-7704-2568-2 - fiction, nice
                   story, but hardly sf at all
BKVRTRLT RVW  4455 "Virual Reality", Rheingold, 1991, 0-671-77897-8, C$16.75 -
                   one man's self-indulgent overview
BKVRXCBR RVW  2653 "Virtual Reality and the Exploration of Cyberspace", Hamit,
                   1993, 0-672-30361-2, U$26.95/C$33.95 - very balanced
                   overview of the VR field
BKWAYCLN RVW  2931 "Way of the Clans", Thurston, 1991, 0-451-45101-5,
                   U$4.50/C$5.50 - fiction, extremely implausible on *all*
                   fronts.  Probably popular with the video game set.
BKWCSCD  RVW  2514 "What Computers Still Can't Do", Dreyfus, 1992, 0-262-54067-
                   3, U$13.95 - important take on AI, but limited to a rather
                   narrow view
BKWDIDNM RVW  1689 "The Macintosh Bible What Do I Do Now Book", Rubin, 0-
                   940235-23-4, U$22.00 - good general guide to software
                   problems and fixes
BKWEAPON RVW  1106 "Weapon", Mason, 1989, 1-55773-309-0 - fiction, pulp high
                   tech thriller, but with an oddly realistic version of neural
                   nets
BKWNPROG RVW  2471 "Windows Network Programming", Ralph Davis - good
                   programming reference
BKWNWRKB RVW  2546 "The Windows for Workgroups Bible", Miastkowski/Lent, 1993,
                   0-201-62281-5 - good intro to both networking aspects and
                   applications (though not quite deserving of biblical status)
BKWP6PPK RVW  2864 "The WordPerfect 6 Print & Presentation Kit", Solomon, 1993,
                   0-201-62261-0, U$28.95/C$37.95 - extremely basic, could be
                   used with systems other than WP6
BKWRDMAC RVW  1799 "The Word Book for Macintosh Users", Engst, 1-56830-088-3,
                   U$24.95/C$32.95 - very practical guide for introduction and
                   advanced work
BKWRK3PC RVW  2085 "Running Microsoft Works 3 for the PC", Rubin - another set
                   of documentation for MS-Works
BKXL5SPR RVW  2372 "Excel 5 Super Book", McFedries, 1994, 0-672-30385-X,
                   U$39.95/C$52.95 - thorough coverage from beginner to
                   advanced
BKXWNDWS RVW  1763 "X Window System", Scheifler/Gettys, 1992, EY-J802E-DP-CRE -
                    the defnitive reference
BKYAKMAC RVW  2089 "Yakety Mac:  the Telecom Tome", Rubin, 1992, 0-672-48548-6,
                   U$34.95/C$43.95 - why do the Macs get all the good modem
                   refs?
BKZAP    RVW  3803 "Zap!", Sellers, 1994, 1-56609-021-0 - discussion and
                   suggestions regarding various ills that can be related to
                   computer use
BKZENINT RVW  3371 "Zen and the Art of the Internet", Kehoe, 1994, 0-13-121492-
                   6 - first, shortest and still best of all the introductory
                   Internet guides.  No resource guide but an excellent
                   overview of the functions for those starting out.

MVSNEAKR RVW  4726 "Sneakers", Universal Pictures - fictional, but reasonably
                   good portrayal of a "tiger team"


Publishers or authors wishing to have their books reviewed and added to the
list should have copies sent to Rob Slade at 3118 Baird Road, North Vancouver,
BC, Canada, V7K 2G6.  Publishers shipping from outside of Canada are advised to
label the materials as samples per GST section 215(1), without value and not
subject to GST.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993, 1994   REVIEW.LST   940801

======================
DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters
Editor and/or reviewer [e-mail], [e-mail], Rob Slade at 1:153/733
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Sept. '94) Springer-Verlag