Distributed Computing-- Implementation and Management Strategies [Book Reviews]

implementation and Managemen t Stra tegies edited by Raman Khanna 518 PP $58 Prentice-Hall Eaglewood Cliffs, N J 1994 ISBN 0-13-220138-0 developer would benefit from the entire book, because it does raise important issues that many technical books in the field tend to ignore. Such books focus on the elegance of the technology rather than the implications of its application. However, a developer might become frustrated a t the uneven level of treatment, at times being rather pedesman and at others glossing over crucial topics. I cannot recommend its use in undergraduate computing courses, as i t lacks satisfactory coherence and consistency; i t develops the issues but contains too much extraneous detail. On the other hand, i t probably does have merit at the postgraduate level for MBA programmers, particularly those focusing on information systems management. In summary, although this review has beeii somewhat critical, I believe the bookis a very useful and valid contribution to the field, and I look forward to the second edition, which will make the material even more accessible to its intended audience. The author has indeed shed light on many of the fascinaung issues involved in clienthemer computing but at the same time has showered the reader with a wealth of material and left many questions hanging.