Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!uunet!shelby!apple!bionet!mshri.utoronto.ca!clark
From: clark@mshri.utoronto.ca
Newsgroups: bionet.users.addresses
Subject: Re: Book on Computer Networks
Message-ID: <9010050116.AA22699@genbank.bio.net>
Date: 5 Oct 90 01:04:46 GMT
Sender: daemon@genbank.bio.net
Lines: 73

Tom Schneider writes:

/In article <9010012313.AA05762@genbank.bio.net> clark@mshri.utoronto.ca writes:
/>In an earlier message, I mentioned a book that lists the computer networks
/>throughout the world, and how to access them from any other network.
/
/I don't get it.  A physical book to tell us how to get around on the net?  How
/about an archive with the book in it, and some modern computer tools so we
/don't need a book?  Is anyone working on that?

and Josh Hayes writes:

/I am curious as to how comprehensive this book can be given that
/it's, well, a book. I was under the impression that the "net",
/comprising dozens, or even hundreds, of little and not-so-little
/nets, changes almost daily. Is this an exaggeration? How often
/is the book updated?

To which I will add:

        We make use of what tools are available. I have heard that there is
a pilot project to build an online (or at least, email accessible)
directory of the Internet, but until that is ready, there doesn't seem to
be a lot of choice. [SPECIAL NOTE: Please don't ask me for more details
about this, I don't recall where I heard or read it, and I will not have
anything more to say about this. Okay? Maybe Rob Harper or Dave
Kristofferson (or someone else?) could fill in some details about this.]

        The authors of the above-mentioned book recognize the problem of
the fluidity of the net, and have this to say in the Preface:

"REQUEST FOR UPDATES

"Networking is an ever changing area and it's difficult to keep up with the
changes. Some of the information in the book will be out of date shortly
after the book is published. Consequently, this book will be updated before
each reprinting, approximately every ten to twelve months. This gives you
the most up-to-date information on each network. (Fill out the business
reply card in the back of the book to receive notice of reprints.)"

        It then continues to acknowledge that some networks are better
described than others (since the data was mostly collected from network
administrators), and requests that the authors be notified of errors or
out-of-date information. I think this is a perfectly reasonable attitude
and seems to reflect a desire by the authors to provide as complete a
coverage of the topic as possible.

        Just because a field is rapidly changing doesn't mean that books on
the subject are a waste of time. There must be hundreds or thousands of
books published each year in molecular biology alone that are out of date
before the editor even gets all the chapters together. Even so, people find
that it is useful and convenient to have so much information collected in
one volume.


Stephen Clark

Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
Mt Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

clark@mshri.utoronto.ca  (Internet)
clark@utoroci            (Netnorth/Bitnet)

"After all was said and done, more was said than done."

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with this book except having bought it,
and being satisfied that it was US$26.95 plus US$4.32 for shipping well
spent. (To be completely honest, my employers bought it.)

p.s. Personal requests to me for more info on this book will be forwarded
to this newsgroup for someone else to answer. I've posted the reference
twice already, and 4 wpm typers like me especially dislike typing
references.