BKCLSVSG.RVW   990408

"Client/Server Survival Guide", Robert Orfali/Dan Harkey/Jeri Edwards,
1999, 0-471-31615-6, U$39.99/C$62.50
%A   Robert Orfali
%A   Dan Harkey
%A   Jeri Edwards
%C   5353 Dundas Street West, 4th Floor, Etobicoke, ON   M9B 6H8
%D   1999
%G   0-471-31615-6
%I   John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%O   U$39.99/C$62.50 fax: 416-236-4448 rlangloi@wiley.com
%P   762 p.
%T   "Client/Server Survival Guide, Third Edition"

A book with "client/server" in the title cannot possibly be fun.  A
book with cartoon Martians on the cover (and acting as guides
throughout the book), well ... remember "Bob"?  Combine these two
features, and you magically get a book that provides a solid,
comprehensible, and complete overview of that enormous field
previously known as distributed computing.

Well, not magically.  The authorial team is to be commended for their
ability and discipline in pulling off the task: making sure all
aspects are explained equally well, and ensuring that the lighthearted
touches support the material rather than getting in the way.

Part one is an introduction, covering the new technologies, basic
concepts, components, and network bandwidth issues.  Clients, servers,
and operating systems are reviewed in part two.  Middleware is dealt
with in part three, with looks at network operating systems (NOS),
remote procedure calls, and contending NOS technologies.  Part four
discusses SQL (Structured Query Language) with database servers,
middleware, data warehouses, decision support systems, and database
vendors.  Transaction processing talks about transaction models,
monitors and management, transaction positioning, and vendors, in part
five.  Groupware gets a basic introduction and a product comparison
leaning heavily to Lotus Notes and Domino in part six.  Distributed
objects, in part seven, reviews the components, CORBA (Common Object
Request Broker Architecture), COM (Common Object Model), object
databases, and the two competing camps.  The Internet, based on a
client/server model, is examined in part eight with an explanation of
the Web, Web forms, mobile code and applets, and an industry resume. 
Part nine looks at management with a conceptual review and a look at
standards.  Part ten talks about development tools and the future.

The conceit about teaching the technology to Martians is inessential
to the intent of the book.  The jokes and cartoons do, though,
contribute to the text, enhancing both readability and comprehension.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996, 1999   BKCLSVSG.RVW   990408