BKRSDBBN.RVW   990507

"Residential Broadband", Kim Maxwell, 1999, 0-471-25165-8,
U$39.99/C$62.50
%A   Kim Maxwell
%C   5353 Dundas Street West, 4th Floor, Etobicoke, ON   M9B 6H8
%D   1999
%G   0-471-25165-8
%I   John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%O   U$39.99/C$62.50 416-236-4433 fax: 416-236-4448 rlangloi@wiley.com
%P   390 p.
%T   "Residential Broadband: An Insider's Guide to the Battle for the
       Last Mile"

Having gone through the process myself, I can fully sympathize with
Maxwell's agonizing over the publisher's choice of a title.  And this
is no idle complaint: Maxwell uses it to fulfill the general purpose
of the preface, that is, specifying the topic to be addressed and the
audience for whom it is intended.  The book covers high speed
communication to the masses, and deals not merely with technical
minutiae, but also with applications and use.  Maxwell also promises
to look beyond current technologies to the extreme long range of
prognostication.  Thus, while the book is technical in part, it is
aimed at the broader market of those who want to know what to expect,
and to choose which avenue to pursue.

Section one reviews the factors that will drive the demand for
broadband access.  Chapter one uses the dread phrase "Information
Superhighway," but takes a realistic look at the facts behind the
fantasy.  The discussion of bandwidth, in chapter two, does not make
comparisons easy but it does give good figures for a wide variety of
media types.

Section two looks at networks.  Chapter three gives us a fascinating
history (going back to the Greeks) and the useful basic concepts of
networking.  Competing protocols are examined and explained simply but
accurately in chapter four, primarily concentrating on ATM
(Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and IP (Internet Protocol).  A number of
Internet myths that catch even those who consider themselves
technically with it are dispelled in chapter five.  Oddly, though, for
all that he chides the traditional network providers for technical
timidity, Maxwell does not seem to realize the potential that
increased processing power holds for "amateur" networks, such as
variations on packet radio and Usenet.

Section three talks about access, both within the home (or premises)
and to it.  Chapter six describes the characteristics of the existing
networks that are available to most homes.  Ten gigabits per second
should be enough for anyone, says chapter seven.  (I simply don't
believe this.  I can see, now, the fad for full frame, picture window
sized, 1200 dots per inch, full motion video windows looking out on
Tahitian beaches or Swiss ski resorts, requiring a hundred gigabits
per second.  Stupid, perhaps, but pet rocks got sold ...)  The various
contending technologies capable of delivering broadband levels of
access to residences are reviewed in chapter eight.  Chapter nine is a
really wonderful explanation of modem technologies: technical, yes,
but clear enough for anyone of reasonable intelligence.  Similarly, a
terrific description of ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line),
including the physical properties of phone lines, is given in chapter
ten, while cable modems are covered in eleven.

Section four looks at the market, by application.  Chapter twelve
situates us in the current market.  Applications for professionals and
home based business are listed in chapter thirteen.  Entertainment is
discussed in chapter fourteen, but, again, the analysis is a bit
timid, disregarding animated MUDs (Multiple User Domains) and other
graphical collaborations.  Chapter fifteen deals with consumer
applications, including, somewhat oddly, education.  The complex
interaction of supply of bandwidth and applications and demand for
those applications is examined in chapter sixteen.  The book ends in
chapter seventeen with projected figures for growth in various areas.

Maxwell also provides a lot of humour on the way through.  In one
example, the tired phrase about having enough time to make a cup of
coffee is expanded to a truly ludicrous extent, but one that the makes
the point very effectively.  (And is pretty much bang on for timing.)

I have not yet found any other book that is as clear and realistic in
giving the average non-specialist reader an understanding of the
issues of providing and using high-speed networks.  This work is
solidly based, reliable, readable, and even entertaining.  Internet
clubs, community networks, interested hobbyists, and
telecommunications managers should all consider it required reading.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1999   BKRSDBBN.RVW   990507