Date: 30 Nov 93 12:19 -0600 From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: "The Modem Reference" by Banks BKMDMREF.RVW 931101 Prentice Hall, Inc./Brady 113 Sylvan Avenue Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (515) 284-6751 FAX (515) 284-2607 11711 N. College Ave. Carmel, IN 46032-9903 15 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10023 800-428-5331 ?@prenhall.com "The Modem Reference", Banks, 1992, 156686027X, U$29.95/C$37.95/UK#27.93 The blurbs for this book are effusive, glowing, positive ... and all written by authors rather than technical people. Many refer to the sheer volume of material here, which is certainly impressive. Not all correct, perhaps, but impressive. The presentation is a bit less impressive. The organization mentioned in the introduction is quite good: five chapters on the basics, five on basic data communication functions (which Banks refers as "telecomputing"), five on online services and systems, and the remaining chapters devoted to specialty and miscellaneous topics. Unfortunately, that organization, while adhered to in the topics, is not mentioned either in the table of contents or as a part of chapter divisions. In part one, chapter one is the usual promotion for the benefits of online services. It is, however, structured a bit better than most and gives a reasonably good overview of the basic functions. In fact, it tends to undersell somewhat, since there is no discussion of the various online components in a "pro and con" comparison with their non-data communications counterparts. Chapter two purports to be a general overview of the basic components you need for computer communications. It is somewhat disorganized, and, with frequent references to the real information to be found in other chapters, could have been easily dispensed with. Chapter three, entitled, "How Telecomputing Works," begins to show some of the necessary technical details -- and the limits to Banks' knowledge. Someone probably explained phase shift keying to him sometime -- obviously he didn't fully understand. No one bothered to tell him that the RS-232 standard has been RS-232D since before he wrote the first edition. (Nor that it is now more properly known as EIA-232). And, of course, he confuses baud rates with "bits per second", equating them on page 79 (although correctly going into detail on pages 82-85). Chapter four, dealing with modems, is a similar mixture. While all the bases are covered (eventually) there are inconsistencies, anachronisms, and no particular order. The various points are trotted out one after the other, with no attempt to weight the more important, or to guide the user in the types of applications under which a certain function might become important. The same holds true for the discussion of communications software in chapter five. Part two deals generally with the basic functions of online systems. Chapter six discuses signing on to a remote system. Although the statement is made that you should try a local BBS first to get used to the idea, Banks' commercial service bias shows through in his advocacy of "7E1" over "8N1". Most public data networks (which Banks refers to as "packet networks") use the seven data bits, even parity, one stop bit parameter settings. Nor does Banks offer any troubleshooting assistance should you choose the wrong settings. Chapter seven discusses menus and commands for online systems. I have always found these chapters to be examples of Slade's Law of Computer Illiteracy: there is no such thing as computer illiteracy, only illiteracy, itself. Most menus are self-explanatory. On the other hand, Banks' listing of common command synonyms could be very helpful. Chapter eight discusses public, private and real time communications. The material tends to be repetitive and not really say much of consequence. Online etiquette is mentioned in a number of places, but only boils down to "don't be rude" and "give references". There is a whole book to be done on online socialization, and we keep seeing these same trivialities. Chapter nine deals with file transfers and ten with "other activities". (Mostly games.) Part three discusses BBSes, online services, communications services (which, oddly, contains a section on fax boards), database and information services and a reprise of commercial online services under the name "Full Service Consumer and Business Networks". From chapter sixteen on, we have a melange of topics such as benefits (the hardsell this time), portable communications, Windows, security (very bad) and the future. Appendices include troubleshooting, various commercial and BBS numbers, cabling and a files listing for the included disk. Unfortunately, for all its flaws, this may be the "only game in town" at this level. However, I would venture to suggest Gianone's "Using MS-DOS Kermit" and LeVitus and Ihnatko's "Dr. Macintosh's Guide to the Online Universe" (BKUMSKMT.RVW and BKDMGTOU.RVW) in preference to it. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKMDMREF.RVW 931101 Permission granted to distribute with unedited copies of the TELECOM Digest and associated newsgroups/mailing lists. 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