 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group For the Bookshelf Major Keary |
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Many Melb PC members use, or are interested in, programs and operating systems that may seem esoteric to others. Bookshops with computer sections cannot be expected to carry everything published, so it is possible that some of the books reviewed here may not be on the shelves.
X - A Guide for Users
Poor old X gets attached to many things, X.500 (of which more later), XA Professional, XVision, and X-Windows are just some. The X Windows System is sometimes assumed to be a Windows-type program that runs exclusively under UNIX
While its use is mainly in the UNIX environment, X Windows can be delivered to a broad range of platforms - including MS-DOS - and is said to have a "technical potential ... vastly superior to that of windows systems available with current PCs". X has particular application in sophisticated networking environments and where there is a need for "multiple, concurrently executing applications". Why it has not been taken up by traditional PC software vendors is a mystery.
The author looks at the system as a user rather than as a programmer. The book assumes some familiarity with X and is certainly not an introduction for novices. In keeping with the standard of Prentice Hall publications for professionals, this book is well-presented and contains a lot of information in a compact space.
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Jerry Smith: X - A Guide for Users ISBN 0 13 123795 0 339 pages Published by Prentice Hall |
X.500 Directory Services
The CCITT is now known as ITU=f (International Telecommunications Union). It sets data communications standards that generally acquire I50 status-for example, X200 (c'CITT) is also I50 7948. It is usual for communications people to use the CCITT X-prefix references. Data communications standards are grouped under several "layers":
The Application layer deals with a wide range of matters including Directory
Services. When one system communicates with another there has to be a method of mutual identification, which falls to Directory Services and is covered by
ITU's X.500 series (at last count there were twenty-five parts, X.500-625.
The author is well qualified, being one of the architects of the X.5oo directory standards. The book explains how x.500 works and how to create and manage X.5UO corporate directories. It discusses standards for distributed directory services and industry trends. While written for professionals, it is not difficult to read-indeed, it is remarkable for its clarity of language-and should he of interest to anyone working in a distributed network environment.
Internet users may be interested to know of an X.5oo access that adds to already existing facilities for finding someone on the net. Telnet to
ds.internic.net and login as x500; there is an extensive menu, which seems to change from time to time as the system is refined.
Sara Radicati: X.500 Directory Services
ISBN 0 442 01816 9
159 pages
Published by Van Nostrand Reinhold
The Complete Idiot's Guide to CD-ROM
More and more systems are now sold with CD-ROM drives and many users are looking seriously at upgrading existing equipment with sound card and CD-ROM drive.
The plethora of brands and configurations makes it difficult to arrive at the best decision. The
Idiot's Guide is written for beginners in the world of CD.
The style is light-hearted, but the author uses it to good effect. Information is quite detailed, but stripped of technicalities and jargon. The many asides, marked by icons, contain warnings, explanations (for those who would like to know a bit more), easy ways to get things done, and notes that demystify the
technobabble.
A tear-out card can make shopping around easier; on one side there is a kind of questionnaire to be filled in by the reader, and on the other side are some warnings that are well to have on hand when talking to dealers.
The technology is moving ahead at a pretty smart pace and any book about CD-ROMs will be a little behind. However, most users will not
need - even if they can afford-the high-tech equipment that is coming on the market. The essentials for understanding CD-ROM drives and their peripherals (sound cards, for example) are well covered. It is not expensive and could save you a lot more than its price, as well as frustration.
| Pivovarnick: The
Complete Idiot's Guide to CD-ROM ISBN 1 5671 461 2 297 pages Published by Alpha Books RRP $18.95 |
Configuration Management for Software
Software configuration management (SCM) is defined as "a set of engineering procedures for tracking and documenting software throughout its life cycle, to ensure that all changes are recorded and the current state of the software is known and reproducible". Software configuration control is the implementation and enforcement of SCM procedures. Ordinary users will not be concerned with knowing anything about the subject, but each time they curse some beastly program they can be pretty sure its shortcomings are the result of poor
SCM - or even a complete lack of it.
Programmers working on large corporate or government projects may come in contact with SCM; those in defence areas are bound to be affected. This book is a valuable introduction and reference. There is plenty of bibliographical data and references to standards-yes, there are ISO standards for sC1vI.Some case study material is also presented.
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Joan Callahan ed.:Configuration Management for Software ISBN 0 442 01746 4 254 pages Published by Van Nostrand Reinhold RRP $69.95 |
Parallel Processing and the Future Data Center
Parallel processing is a technique for using a number of small processors to tackle a particular problem, usually of large proportions. It is an outcome of the development of "extremely fast, inexpensive, and small processors ...
Reprinted from the December 1994 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
(that) have so outpaced the traditional proprietary mainframes and minicomputers that the `Gargantuan Data Centre' of yesteryear is rapidly falling out of place". Another contributing factor is the development of network technology, which enables a number of workstations to act in unison on a common task.
While individual PC users will not do too much parallel processing, there are those who will come in contact with it. Literature on the subject has generally been written for computer scientists. This book has been written as an introduction to the subject and to provide information for applications programmers, data processing managers, consultants, and network vendors and managers. It describes the technology, provides information about available commercial parallel processing hardware, security, systems design, and so on.
The technology brings with it a rash of acronyms:
If you have an interest in parallel processing this book is probably the best Parallel Processing and the Future Data place to start.
Daniel Schutzer: Parallel Processing and the
Future Data Center
ISBN 0 442 01403 1
217 pages
Published by Van Nostrand Reinhold
RRP $77.95
