jqj@HOGG.CC.UOREGON.EDU (05/12/88)
There has been much recent discussion of Comer's new INTERNETWORKING WITH TCP/IP on this list. My librarian tells me that there is another similar book, AN INTRODUCTION TO TCP/IP, by John Davidson. It was published by Springer-Verlag this year. It provides "an overview of TCP/IP. Contents: introduction, data link layer, network layer, transport layer, session through application layers." Has anyone seen the latter book? How does it compare with the Comer book?
"Thomas_D._Herbst.HENR801c"@XEROX.COM (05/12/88)
I was rather disappointed with the Davidson book. While it does provide an introduction, it doesn't cover very much material in the depth that I require. It is a useful book for people that don't have to implement anything, say a manager trying to answer the question "What is this TCP/IP stuff, anyway?". I am anxiously awaiting my special ordered copy of Comer's book. tom
smb@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (Steven Bellovin) (05/13/88)
There's no comparison; the Davidson book is a fairly cursory overview (though probably still valuable to a novice), while Comer treats stuff in depth. Davidson's introduction describes the book as essentially a set of lecture notes; that's a fairly accurate description.
bc@halley.UUCP (Bill Crews) (05/14/88)
John Davidson's book, An Introduction to TCP/IP is exactly that, an introduction. As such, it is likely to be less involving and intimidating than Doug's book for someone who would rather read a quarter inch of paper and know something than to read an inch of stuff. It's likely that most netters have a sufficient interest in TCP/IP to warrant choosing Doug's book, which looks excellent, though I haven't read it yet. But many netters, and perhaps the majority of TCP/IP users in general, might be better served by a shorter overview of TCP/IP, such as John's book. The bad news is that they apparently cost about the same, even though John's book is a quarter inch softback. Oh, well... -bc -- Bill Crews Tandem Computers bc@halley.UUCP Austin, Texas ..!rutgers!im4u!halley!bc (512) 244-8350