From the book lists at Adware Report:

 All information current as of 13:57:39 Pacific Time, Monday, 21 February 2005.

The Internet Book: Everything You Need to Know About Computer Networking and How the Internet Works (3rd Edition)

   by Douglas E. Comer

  Paperback:
    Prentice Hall
    30 March, 2000

   US$37.00 

   Usually ships in 24 hours

Click the button below to . . .

    
(which will add the book to your Amazon U.S.A. "Shopping Cart")

. . . or use your browser's Back button to return to the search-list page.
Editorial description(s):

From Book News, Inc.
Examines computer networking and the Internet from a nontechnical perspective, explaining how computers communicate, what the Internet is, and how the Internet works. Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Book Info
Provides an overview of Electronic Commerce and how the Internet can be used to conduct business and commercial transactions. Includes Security and Encryption and the technologies that provide secure communications. Covers Internet connection technologies: ADSL, cable modems, and more. Previous edition: c1997. Softcover. DLC: Internet (Computer network).


Card catalog description
The INTERNET Book clearly explains the fundamentals of how computers communicate, what the Internet is, how the Internet works, what the Internet can do for you, and how the Internet is changing the world. The practical approach connects the reader to the big picture by presenting an understandable overview of the Internet rather than burying you with details. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


The publisher, Prentice-Hall Engineering/Science/Mathematics
The Internet Book presents computer networking and the Internet from a nontechnical perspective. It explains how computers communicate, what the Internet is, how the Internet works, and what the Internet can do for people. --This text refers to the edition.


From the Author
Although it requires no technical background and absolutely no mathematics, The Internet Book explains computer networking and the Internet. In addition to covering the most well-known applications such as the World Wide Web and electronic commerce, the book describes how underlying technologies -- such as cable modems -- are used to deliver Internet services.

Everyone can understand this book because all technical details are explained using analogies to everyday life.

If you want to understand the Internet, but do not have a strong background in science or engineering, this book is for you.


From the Inside Flap
Preface

The Internet Book explains how computers communicate, what the Internet is, how the Internet works, and what services the Internet offers you. It is designed for readers who do not have a strong technical background -- early chapters clearly explain the terminology and concepts needed to understand all the services. When you finish reading, you will understand the technology behind the Internet, will appreciate how the Internet can be used, and discover why people find it so exciting. In addition, you will understand the origins of the Internet and see how rapidly it has grown.

Instead of using mathematics, algorithms, or computer programs, the book uses analogies from everyday life to explain technology. For example, to explain why digital communication is superior to analog, the text uses an analogy of sending signals through fog with a flashlight. To explain how audio can be played back for the user at a steady rate when packets arrive in clumps, the text uses the analogy of many gallons of milk arriving at a supermarket in one shipment, but being sold one gallon at a time.

In addition to explaining the services users encounter such as e-mail, file transfer, and web browsing, the text covers key networking concepts such as packet switching, Local Area Networks, protocol software, and domain names. More important, the text builds on fundamentals -- it describes basic Internet communication facilities first, and then shows how the basic facilities are used to provide a variety of services. Finally, the book includes an extensive glossary of technical terms with easy-to-understand definitions; readers are encouraged to consult the glossary as they read.

The third edition retains the same general structure as the previous edition, but adds four new chapters and updates material throughout. Chapter 2 surveys a variety of Web sites, and encourages readers to begin exploring the Web while they read. The other three new chapters are especially significant. Chapter 14 covers Internet connection technologies, including ADSL and cable modems, technologies which are now available to consumers. Chapters 29 and 30 cover the related topics of security and ecommerce, both of which are increasingly important. Chapter 29 explains encryption technology, and Chapter 30 shows how the technology is used to conduct business.

As with the previous edition, the book is divided into four main parts. The first part begins with fundamental concepts such as digital and analog communication. It also introduces packet switching, and explains the Local Area Network technologies that are used in most businesses.

The second part of the book gives a short history of the Internet research project and the development of the Internet. Although most of the history can be skipped, readers should pay attention to the phenomenal growth rate, which demonstrates that the technology was designed incredibly well -- no other communication technology has remained as unchanged through such rapid growth.

The third part of the book explains how the Internet works, including a description of the two fundamental protocols used by all services: the Internet Protocol (IP) and the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Although they omit technical details, the chapters in this part allow students to understand the essential role of each protocol and gain perspective on the overall design.

The fourth part of the book examines services available on the Internet. In addition to covering browsers, plugins, CGI, and search engines used with the World Wide Web, chapters discuss e-mail, network newsgroups, file and fax transfer, and audio and video communication. In each case, the text explains how the service operates and how it uses facilities in the underlying system.

The Internet Book makes an excellent reference text for a college-level course on the Internet. Although presented in a nontechnical manner, the ma terial is scientifically accurate. More important, in the twenty-first century, an educated person will need to know more than how to use a browser or set up a Web page -- they should have some understanding of what goes on behind the scenes. They can acquire such knowledge from this text.

Instructors are encouraged to combine classroom lectures with laboratory sessions in which students see and use the technology first-hand. In all courses, early labs should focus on exploring a variety of services, including sending e-mail, using a browser, using a search engine, downloading files via FTP, listening to audio, and using an IP telephone, if one is available. I encourage all students, even those who have no interest in computers, to build a trivial Web page by hand. In addition to helping them see the relationship between tags in an HTML document and the resulting display, it shows students how a server transfers files on a computer disk to a browser. Seeing the relationship in labs helps students better understand as they read about the underlying process.

Lab projects later in the semester depend on the type of course. Business-oriented courses often focus students on using the Internet -- labs require students to search the Internet for information and then use the information to write a short paper. Other courses use labs to focus on tools such as programs used to create a Web page. Some courses combine both by having students search for information and then create a Web page that contains links to the information. In any case, we have found that students enter Internet courses with genuine enthusiasm and motivation; a professor's task is merely to provide perspective and remind students throughout the semester why the Internet is so exciting.

The author thanks many people who have contributed to editions of this book. John Lin, Keith Rovell, Rob Slade, and Christoph Schuba read early versions and made suggestions. Dwight Barnette, George Polyzo, Donald Knudson, Dale Musser, and Dennis Ray sent the publisher reviews of a previous edition. Scott Comer provided a student perspective. As always, my wife, Chris, carefully edited the manuscript, solved many problems, and improved the wording.

Douglas E. Comer
March, 2000


From the Back Cover


The INTERNET Book:


About the Author
DOUGLAS COMER is a professor at Purdue University where he teaches popular computer networking courses. He also teaches hundreds of professionals and diverse audiences around the world each year about he Internet. He has written a widely acclaimed and extremely popular series of books on networking and the Internet. He was one of the researchers who contributed to the formation of the Internet in the late 1970s and 1980s. He has served on the Internet Architecture Board, the group responsible for guiding development of the Internet, and is a Fellow of the ACM. He wrote this book in response to everyone who has asked him for an explanation of the Internet that is both technically correct and easily understood.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface



The Internet Book explains how computers communicate, what the Internet is, how the Internet works, and what services the Internet offers you. It is designed for readers who do not have a strong technical background -- early chapters clearly explain the terminology and concepts needed to understand all the services. When you finish reading, you will understand the technology behind the Internet, will appreciate how the Internet can be used, and discover why people find it so exciting. In addition, you will understand the origins of the Internet and see how rapidly it has grown.

Instead of using mathematics, algorithms, or computer programs, the book uses analogies from everyday life to explain technology. For example, to explain why digital communication is superior to analog, the text uses an analogy of sending signals through fog with a flashlight. To explain how audio can be played back for the user at a steady rate when packets arrive in clumps, the text uses the analogy of many gallons of milk arriving at a supermarket in one shipment, but being sold one gallon at a time.

In addition to explaining the services users encounter such as e-mail, file transfer, and web browsing, the text covers key networking concepts such as packet switching, Local Area Networks, protocol software, and domain names. More important, the text builds on fundamentals -- it describes basic Internet communication facilities first, and then shows how the basic facilities are used to provide a variety of services. Finally, the book includes an extensive glossary of technical terms with easy-to-understand definitions; readers are encouraged to consult the glossary as they read.

The third edition retains the same general structure as the previous edition, but adds four new chapters and updates material throughout. Chapter 2 surveys a variety of Web sites, and encourages readers to begin exploring the Web while they read. The other three new chapters are especially significant. Chapter 14 covers Internet connection technologies, including ADSL and cable modems, technologies which are now available to consumers. Chapters 29 and 30 cover the related topics of security and ecommerce, both of which are increasingly important. Chapter 29 explains encryption technology, and Chapter 30 shows how the technology is used to conduct business.

As with the previous edition, the book is divided into four main parts. The first part begins with fundamental concepts such as digital and analog communication. It also introduces packet switching, and explains the Local Area Network technologies that are used in most businesses.

The second part of the book gives a short history of the Internet research project and the development of the Internet. Although most of the history can be skipped, readers should pay attention to the phenomenal growth rate, which demonstrates that the technology was designed incredibly well -- no other communication technology has remained as unchanged through such rapid growth.

The third part of the book explains how the Internet works, including a description of the two fundamental protocols used by all services: the Internet Protocol (IP) and the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Although they omit technical details, the chapters in this part allow students to understand the essential role of each protocol and gain perspective on the overall design.

The fourth part of the book examines services available on the Internet. In addition to covering browsers, plugins, CGI, and search engines used with the World Wide Web, chapters discuss e-mail, network newsgroups, file and fax transfer, and audio and video communication. In each case, the text explains how the service operates and how it uses facilities in the underlying system.

The Internet Book makes an excellent reference text for a college-level course on th e Internet. Although presented in a nontechnical manner, the material is scientifically accurate. More important, in the twenty-first century, an educated person will need to know more than how to use a browser or set up a Web page -- they should have some understanding of what goes on behind the scenes. They can acquire such knowledge from this text.

Instructors are encouraged to combine classroom lectures with laboratory sessions in which students see and use the technology first-hand. In all courses, early labs should focus on exploring a variety of services, including sending e-mail, using a browser, using a search engine, downloading files via FTP, listening to audio, and using an IP telephone, if one is available. I encourage all students, even those who have no interest in computers, to build a trivial Web page by hand. In addition to helping them see the relationship between tags in an HTML document and the resulting display, it shows students how a server transfers files on a computer disk to a browser. Seeing the relationship in labs helps students better understand as they read about the underlying process.

Lab projects later in the semester depend on the type of course. Business-oriented courses often focus students on using the Internet -- labs require students to search the Internet for information and then use the information to write a short paper. Other courses use labs to focus on tools such as programs used to create a Web page. Some courses combine both by having students search for information and then create a Web page that contains links to the information. In any case, we have found that students enter Internet courses with genuine enthusiasm and motivation; a professor's task is merely to provide perspective and remind students throughout the semester why the Internet is so exciting.

The author thanks many people who have contributed to editions of this book. John Lin, Keith Rovell, Rob Slade, and Christoph Schuba read early versions and made suggestions. Dwight Barnette, George Polyzo, Donald Knudson, Dale Musser, and Dennis Ray sent the publisher reviews of a previous edition. Scott Comer provided a student perspective. As always, my wife, Chris, carefully edited the manuscript, solved many problems, and improved the wording.

Douglas E. Comer
March, 2000


Book Description
Although it requires no technical background and absolutely no mathematics, The Internet Book explains computer networking and the Internet. In addition to covering the most well-known applications such as the World Wide Web and electronic commerce, the book describes how underlying technologies -- such as cable modems -- are used to deliver Internet services.

Everyone can understand this book because all technical details are explained using analogies to everyday life.

If you want to understand the Internet, but do not have a strong background in science or engineering, this book is for you.




Reader review(s):

Amazing Book, August 10, 2000
Douglas Comer has an amazing ability to cut through the heavy fog that surrounds Internet technology. Many well trained and accomplished academics are terrible writers. I have wasted much money buying from these authors. I have read Douglas Comer's many books from detailed implentation of TCP/IP to overview of computer networks and internet. I am not surprised by the excellent quality of this book. I will buy any book anytime that Dr. Comer writes. I think this all the result of his pioneering reseach and great desire to teach.

Good for people who like little info from lots of pages, October 11, 1998
Well, not a bad book. But it deals with pretty elementary concepts and spends too much time in history (though some people may like it, I was annoyed). Mostly, there are too many words than information.If you are completely new to internet and wan to make some background for a serious start [or if you like reading for the sake of reading:-)] this may suit you.

A basic guide for novice users., April 29, 2001
Although initially frightened by all the acronyms surrounding the Internet and its language, I was put as ease while reading Comer's book. I found that it was written for a person like myself. I have some amount of knowledge of how the Internet and other systems work, but I am a typical user of computer applications and am happy when my machine gives me the information I ask of it. Required reading in a college class is often the only reading I've done for the past seven years. I used to be a reader who read for many reasons. Some days I wanted to be transported away into a science fiction novel. Other days I wanted to live the life of another while reading a fascinating piece of fiction. Sometimes, due to necessity, I read a non-fiction work in order to educate myself just in case I need to know something. Upon picking up Comer's book, I felt that I didn't really need to know much about the Internet. However, after reading, I find that my curiosity was aroused. In fact, Comer dedicates the book to "Everyone Who Is Curious." I became one of these people. Comer's writing was a highlight of the book. The complex became simple in regards to understanding the inner-workings of different systems. I found this book to be a perfect companion for the class as it helped me understand a number of concepts in theories that I simply could not understand no matter how many people explained it in the weekly postings. While reading reviews about the book from an Internet book supply company, many critics are not bashful in their feeling that Comer spent too much time relating the history of the Internet to the reader. I wholeheartedly disagree with these critics and found that the history of the Internet had to be explained in order to fully understand why certain features of the Internet and its accompanying systems are in existence today. The book seemed to be quite simply a recap of all that has led up to today's modern systems. LANs, WANs, and other acronyms had to be explained for the Internet novice. Comer did an excellent job of introducing these areas and their relation to where we are today in regards to technology. Others may have wanted him to be somewhat controversial in his interpretations of where the Internet will lead us. For those people, I would suggest another text. For a person like myself, this text was near perfection. There is only major problem that I did have with Comer's book. With my limited knowledge does come some understanding of today's Internet markets. I believe that if Comer would have mentioned a few prominent companies while explaining certain aspects of the Internet, the book may have been easier to read. I found myself writing questions on the margins such as, "Is this what Netscape is?" His only mentioning of some real world company was of Purdue University. It is only as I write my response to this question that I read that he is a professor at that University. I'm not sure why companies would refuse to give permission for Comer to name them while explaining certain areas. One would think that free publicity is always welcome. I'm not sure if Comer is well known throughout the Internet world. Perhaps he is some type of radical that companies fear. Either way, it would have been easier to understand some concepts if the reader could relate them to aspects in the real world.

An excellent high-level overview of computer networking, March 7, 1997
Comer's book presents a highly technical topic in a readable and easily understood format--almost like prose! I started to read the book in small parts in order to understand only particular chapters, but it is so readable that I read it from the first chapter to the last. In fact, I read over 100 pages in one sitting--something that normally I can do with someone like John Gresham or Tom Clancy, not an author of computer networking. This is a great book for anyone who wants to understand data networking and the Internet. It covered the entire subject without using words like ethernet, token ring or frame-relay

You're no "dummy" but new? This one's for you., June 27, 2001
He's the leader in his field. I've used his books for teaching and as referrals. He's so readable but does not talk down to you like the silly "dummy" stuff. You'll be so glad you gave this a try.

The book is suitable for all the beginners to Internet, December 27, 1999
From this book ,I know that the author understand the Internet and has a lot of expierences on Internet.He can explain the theories and practices clearly and logicaly. By reading this book,I gradually understand the Internet ,that is :how the Internet can provide the communication function and can make you share the resources with the others.

A great foundation for 'dummies' in what the net is., June 21, 1996
If you're like me, one of those 'dummie' PC users that has never been able to speak the language of the MIS people, this author does a great job of putting stuff in a language you can understand. Mysterious and intimidating acronyms like LAN and ASKII suddenly seem so simple. Why is this kind of person, who can translate between the language of MIS people and the rest of us, so hard to come by? I hope this author writes a whole lot more stuff for "the rest of us" who'd really like to "get it", but can't find anyone "bi-lingual". I picked up this book in hopes of gleaning understanding of the internet, but ended up getting much more out of it. By going back to the basics, and assuming no computer literacy, this author filled in a lot of holes in my understanding. Granted there are a lot more holes to fill, but it's refreshing to know that at least one person has figured out how to bridge the language gap
{end of page}

(Page code from the SEO Tools, Toys, and Packages site)