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A Manager's guide to local networks
Networksfor management A Manager’s Guide to Local Networks by F De@& & W Stallings. Published by PrenticelHall International. g12.70. lS2pp.
The growing importance of local networks, and the need for all organizations to define their longer term strategy, place a requirement on senior managers to have a conceptual understanding of the subject, and for data processing management to provide sound recommendations. This book aims to provide a guide to business managers and corporate decision makers and claims to inform them how to manage a database, plan an office automation system and buy a local network. The almost impossibility of achieving all this in 152 pages represents the limitations of the book. The authors are experts in data and telecommunications. This is imme-
diately apparent in the five very well written chapters on these subjects. The reader is taken through the operation of telephone systems with precise but clear definitions of technical terms and their relevance to the type and level of service provided, to the methods and arrangements for linking different items of equipment together in star or ring networks and bus or tree configurations. The description of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model with the definition of the seven layers provides a very lucid summary. The two page descriptions of SNA and Ethernet, however, need to be longer. The chapters on office organization and automation, and on managing a database provide little of value to any group of readers. The subject matter is treated in a shallow and theoretical
manner and lacks the technical authority of the communication chapters. They would have been better omitted and more detail contained on the local network topics. The book refers to telecommunications as it exists in the USA. While professionals can be expected to be aware of and recognize the difference between the services and equipment available in the UK from those in the USA, the general managers at whom the book is aimed will not be aware. In a book expressly intended for such managers the publishers have an obligation either to provide international editions or to make clear that it is based on US practices.
ADRIAN LEPPER The Open University
Programmingin Pascal Pascal under Unix by J N P Hume and R C Holt. Published by Reston Publishing Company (PrenticelHall) X14.35. 386~~.
Although
the title of this book is
Pascal under Unix, the first sentence
of the preface: ‘This book is intended to introduce the reader to computer programming’, provides a more accurate description of its aim, which is admirably achieved. A series of language subsets, called PS/k (Pascal Subset), is used to introduce Pascal in a structured manner starting with ‘characters’, ‘numbers’ etc in PS/l to ‘pointers’ in PS/8. Examples are liberally used to explain each element of the subset and each chapter has a summary and exercises, although no solutions are provided leaving the reader high and dry. It should be pointed out that the PS/k system does not cover the full Pascal language definition, e.g. variant records. Thus it may not be suitable
42
for those readers requiring a definitive by Nicklaus Wirth, allowing exploitadescription of Pascal. tion of facilities offered by the operatThe authors are to be commended ing system, e.g. the ‘argv’ and ‘argc’ on their continual reinforcement of predefined procedures of Berkley correct programming methodology by Unix, that provide the standard Unix including chapters on ‘Structuring command language interface. your attack on the problem’ and The scope of the book is a little ‘Making sure the program works’. ambitious; starting with a description Additionally there are chapters on of a computer in one easy lesson and ‘Searching and sorting’ ‘Scientific cal- concluding with the aforementioned culations’ and ‘Numerical methods’, computer simulation. It is authoritawhich provide a glimpse of the tech- tive and easy to read, providing a very niques used in today’s software. The good introduction to computer prolast two chapters seem rather esoteric gramming using Pascal. It would suit for this book, in which simulation of a those learning a proper programming VS (very simple) computer and atten- language for the first time. The prodent compiler for the PPS/3 (part of spective reader should not be put off PS/3) language are described. by the word ‘Unix’ in the title as the Unix, although core of the book is independent of the predominantly portable, does suffer the vagaries of operating system. However, the different suppliers, namely, Bell omission of solutions to exercises may Systems and Berkley, as well as be a great disadvantage to the comdifferences between ensuing releases, plete novice. details of which have been omitted. Additionally, there is no mention of PAUL HACKNEY ‘extensions’ to the Pascal conceived University of Sussex
data processing
The growing importance of local networks, and the need for all organizations to define their longer term strategy, place a requirement on senior managers to have a conceptual understanding of the subject, and for data processing management to provide sound recommendations. This book aims to provide a guide to business managers and corporate decision makers and claims to inform them how to manage a database, plan an office automation system and buy a local network. The almost impossibility of achieving all this in 152 pages represents the limitations of the book. The authors are experts in data and telecommunications. This is imme-
diately apparent in the five very well written chapters on these subjects. The reader is taken through the operation of telephone systems with precise but clear definitions of technical terms and their relevance to the type and level of service provided, to the methods and arrangements for linking different items of equipment together in star or ring networks and bus or tree configurations. The description of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model with the definition of the seven layers provides a very lucid summary. The two page descriptions of SNA and Ethernet, however, need to be longer. The chapters on office organization and automation, and on managing a database provide little of value to any group of readers. The subject matter is treated in a shallow and theoretical
manner and lacks the technical authority of the communication chapters. They would have been better omitted and more detail contained on the local network topics. The book refers to telecommunications as it exists in the USA. While professionals can be expected to be aware of and recognize the difference between the services and equipment available in the UK from those in the USA, the general managers at whom the book is aimed will not be aware. In a book expressly intended for such managers the publishers have an obligation either to provide international editions or to make clear that it is based on US practices.
ADRIAN LEPPER The Open University
Programmingin Pascal Pascal under Unix by J N P Hume and R C Holt. Published by Reston Publishing Company (PrenticelHall) X14.35. 386~~.
Although
the title of this book is
Pascal under Unix, the first sentence
of the preface: ‘This book is intended to introduce the reader to computer programming’, provides a more accurate description of its aim, which is admirably achieved. A series of language subsets, called PS/k (Pascal Subset), is used to introduce Pascal in a structured manner starting with ‘characters’, ‘numbers’ etc in PS/l to ‘pointers’ in PS/8. Examples are liberally used to explain each element of the subset and each chapter has a summary and exercises, although no solutions are provided leaving the reader high and dry. It should be pointed out that the PS/k system does not cover the full Pascal language definition, e.g. variant records. Thus it may not be suitable
42
for those readers requiring a definitive by Nicklaus Wirth, allowing exploitadescription of Pascal. tion of facilities offered by the operatThe authors are to be commended ing system, e.g. the ‘argv’ and ‘argc’ on their continual reinforcement of predefined procedures of Berkley correct programming methodology by Unix, that provide the standard Unix including chapters on ‘Structuring command language interface. your attack on the problem’ and The scope of the book is a little ‘Making sure the program works’. ambitious; starting with a description Additionally there are chapters on of a computer in one easy lesson and ‘Searching and sorting’ ‘Scientific cal- concluding with the aforementioned culations’ and ‘Numerical methods’, computer simulation. It is authoritawhich provide a glimpse of the tech- tive and easy to read, providing a very niques used in today’s software. The good introduction to computer prolast two chapters seem rather esoteric gramming using Pascal. It would suit for this book, in which simulation of a those learning a proper programming VS (very simple) computer and atten- language for the first time. The prodent compiler for the PPS/3 (part of spective reader should not be put off PS/3) language are described. by the word ‘Unix’ in the title as the Unix, although core of the book is independent of the predominantly portable, does suffer the vagaries of operating system. However, the different suppliers, namely, Bell omission of solutions to exercises may Systems and Berkley, as well as be a great disadvantage to the comdifferences between ensuing releases, plete novice. details of which have been omitted. Additionally, there is no mention of PAUL HACKNEY ‘extensions’ to the Pascal conceived University of Sussex
data processing