Middleware Networks: Concept, Design and Deployment of Internet Infrastructure

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Summary: excellent and insightful
Review: As a recent graduate of MIT I find this book most informative and extremely clear in its definition of networks and middleworking network systems. For anyone who needs to understand how the dotcom world works. Michal Lerner is a brilliant scholar and ingenious network engineer, about whom I have heard in scholarly circles. I believe he is a teacher at Columbia University and I was told he is responsible for 97% of the technical information in this book.

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Summary: Correcting typos to comment that is already online ...
Review: Hi. Obviously I think this is a great book, and the proof is that I'm basically satisfied with the result. For me, thats a tall order! I hope you will enjoy this book, and I solicit any comments you may wish to make (please send to [e-mail])...

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Summary: Innovative large software
Review: I read the published book and before that a draft Professor Lerner gave to his CS students. The book is clear and polished far beyond the draft. I guess Professor listened to his students' comments. Cool. It really got me much more into the ideas and the nuts-and-bolts. The technology seems pretty aggressive, like a totally new kind of a telephone except doing everything in one system, and for lots of companies too. Like Napster for doing anything. Does someone have a CD of the whole system? That would have been a nice thing to add into the book.

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Summary: Review of Middleware Networks
Review: I'd like to be kind, but--it's awful. Not cohesively written and very limited in its readability. A potentially useful topic treated with a heavy techno-hand...

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Summary: Not worth it at all
Review: I've read a number of parts of the final draft of this book for a class and it's a piece of junk in my opinion. The class, taught by Prof. Lerner himself wasn't any good either. His technical knowledge is excellent by any standard, yet his inability to convey it cocisely and cohesively for a class and in written text don't make this book worth it at all for anyone that is not extremely technically literate and would rather get insights and think of things for himself, as opposed to reading a direct description of the topic.

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Summary: Great overview of difficult topics
Review: This book is a unique resuource that covers a broad cross section of technologies that, together, will shape the internet of the future. Though not geared twords general IT staff, more advanced technical folks should find this book most valuable.

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Summary: not worth it
Review: This book reflects the philosophy and practices of the former IP technology organization at AT&T. The final outcome of the group was supposed to be a versatile middleware platform (code-named Geoplex) underlying and integrating data and voice operations in the AT&T networks (and BT in England as well). Geoplex failed miserably for a variety of reasons (not least, ill-defined focus). If anything, that is a bad rap for the book and its approach. But credibility is not everything, and this could still be a well written book. Still, I found it too long and rich in technical details. What was up-to-date two years ago is now obsolete. My advice is to browse through the copy available at your library.

Rating:
Summary: not worth it
Review: This book reflects the philosophy and practices of the former IP technology organization at AT&T. The final outcome of the group was supposed to be a versatile middleware platform (code-named Geoplex) underlying and integrating data and voice operations in the AT&T networks (and BT in England as well). Geoplex failed miserably for a variety of reasons (not least, ill-defined focus). If anything, that is a bad rap for the book and its approach. But credibility is not everything, and this could still be a well written book. Still, I found it too long and rich in technical details. What was up-to-date two years ago is now obsolete. My advice is to browse through the copy available at your library.

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Summary: Response to March 7 comment
Review: Wow! Dispassionate analysis based on partial reading of a draft. How low can one sink? PARTS of a DRAFT COPY? Are students supposed inform on their professors based on partial and preliminary discussion in an academic forum? That was a popular method of communist repression (may they be cursed)! Did you bother to tell the author privately before blasting an anonymous and reactionary opinion?