Date: Thu, 06 Oct 1994 13:31:09 EST From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: "!%@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing" BKDEMAN.RVW 940731 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. 103 Morris Street, Suite A Sebastopol, CA 95472 800-998-9938 707-829-0515 fax: 707-829-0104 info@ora.com "!%@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and Networks", Frey/Adams, 1-56592-046-5, U$9.95 donnalyn@frey.com Prince-like, this book insists on an unpronounceable title. In the interests of usable referents, might we dispense with the suggested "that darned book" and possibly come up with "Bang-Through-At-For"? This book is a reference work. It details the various computer networks with mail links or gateways to the "true" Internet. It is common to cite such works as "indispensable": in fact, most users, and even site managers, muddle along quite happily without it. Quick reference "electronic" versions exist of very similar documents, which provide the addressing schemes for the more common network and commercial service gateways. Also, once you know one CompuServe Internet address, you know 'em all. Frey and Adams have, however, put together a very complete and interesting reference, and I do suggest it to anyone managing, or using, extensive email correspondence. The bulk of the book is a set of listings very similar to Part Two of "The Matrix" (cf BKMATRIX.RVW). The number of listings is substantially greater, while the major emphasis in each listing is the email addressing scheme. Most of the rest of the book is supporting material, such as the indices to networks by country, name and notation. More than two hundred and fifty pages are devoted to listings of US and international domains for companies, organizations and institutions. Of the sites that I personally know, only one was not listed (although one Canadian company was mysteriously transferred south of the border). Chapter one is an essay devoted to Internet email addressing, and the various "perversions" of "To:" lines. Internet aficionados have probably figured out most of the topics covered but it makes an excellent introduction for newcomers. As a user of electronic mail, or the manager of a small Internet node or UUCP site, it would be hard to say that you "need" this book. If, however, you are at all interested in the topic of email, you will find this fascinating and useful. For those trying to "push the envelope" of email access, this book will be very useful indeed: perhaps indispensable is not too strong. Even those not directly concerned with the technical management of email will find useful material here. The expanded sub-domain listings alone should make salespeople salivate. At the new reduced price (which seems to become something of a standard for O'Reilly re-issues) this has become something to recommend that *all* Internet users get as a resource. The book seems to go through corrections or a new edition about once a year. I wonder if you can get on a mailing list for it? Hmmm. Must drop a line to gnn.com or ora.com (page 533) ... copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993, 1994 BKDEMAN.RVW 940731. Distribution permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated mailing lists/newsgroups. Vancouver p1@arkham.wimsey.bc.ca | You realize, of Institute for Robert_Slade@sfu.ca | course, that these Research into rslade@cue.bc.ca | new facts do not User p1@CyberStore.ca | coincide with my Security Canada V7K 2G6 | preconceived ideas