| Books Co-authored by Ed Tittel: |
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We asked some of our (and your!) favorite authors to share with us their
favorite 10 computer books from the past 10 years. Here's what we got back.
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Ed Tittel, Series Editor, runs LANWrights, Inc., training and writing firm that specializes in networking, computer security, and markup languages in Austin, TX. Ed is the originator of the Exam Cram series of IT certification books.
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Ed's favorite books: |
 Understanding .NET: A Tutorial and Analysis, 2nd Edition by David Chappell --
Love it or hate it, .NET is becoming a cornerstone for the way distributed networking and application are built and understood in the Windows environment. Chappell is a gifted instructor, writer, and expert who can take the huge, complex and sometimes incomprehensible collection of interfaces, tools, and technologies known as .NET and make them make sense. Especially as a tool to help managers or executives understand what's up with .NET and why (or why not) it's worth investing in, this book is a real gem.
(The author's original choice was an older edition that is now out of print. This link is to the current edition)
 How Networks Work by Frank J. Derfler Jr., Les Freed --
This profusely illustrated book remains one of the best introductions to networking terms, concepts, and technologies around. It's been a valuable teaching and explanatory tool for me since the first edition came out nearly 15 years ago. It may be a little too elementary for IT professionals, but it's a great reference to have around to explain or illustrate networking for those who aren't into networking, or who haven't studied it in any detail.
 Microsoft Windows Registry Guide, 2nd Edition by Jerry Honeycutt --
I can't help it, I'm a shameless Windows fiddler, tweaker, and tuner--and that means regular forays into that twisted labyrinth of a configuration database known as the Windows Registry. Honeycutt's book is the closest thing I've found to a skilled native tracker in leading me into and out of those wilds, and also includes the best information anywhere, bar none, on Windows Registry scripting and hacking.
(The author's original choice was an older edition that is now out of print. This link is to the current edition)
by Scott Mueller --
I own at least 8 PCs, of which 7 are working right now. But I'm always tearing them open, pulling out old parts and replacing them with new ones, messing with CMOS settings, and looking for ways to keep my systems,both old and new, up and running in peak condition. No other PC reference I know of comes close to matching Mueller's breadth and depth of coverage: from cases to power supplies to video cards to storage media, it's all in here. And he keeps updating the book on a more or less yearly schedule so the latest edition is usually right in synch with the latest standards: Serial ATA/ATAPI-8, DVD-RW/+RW, and wireless peripheral hook-ups are all good examples of how he keeps on keeping up.
(The author's original choice was an older edition that is now out of print. This link is to the current edition)
 Designing Web Usability by Jakob Nielsen --
Building a Web site is far too easy, but building a carefully crafted, accessible, usable Web site is another thing completely (and a pretty difficult one at that). Nobody illuminates the concepts and issues involved in creating and maintaining usable Web sites better than Mr. Nielsen, whose spare, well-crafted prose makes this book a delight to read as well as to learn from.
Secrets & Lies: Digital Security In a Networked World (Out of Print) by Bruce Schneier --
Nobody knows network security as well as Schneier does, from any perspective you might care to name, be it technical, social, political, or whatever. This book lays out the issues of digital security, including available technical solutions' strengths and weaknesses, and explains how we got into the security mess we all work in so routinely (and alas, often complacently). I reread this book about every six months, just to remind myself about the big security picture. It's informative, challenging, and extremely well-written.
 The Switch Book: A Complete Guide to LAN Switching Technology by Rich Seifert --
Seifert is that rare combination of somebody who's deeply technical yet also able to communicate with clarity, insight, and humor (this book is worth reading for its sly tone and occasional sidesplitter alone) on his subjects of choice.
As a technology that's becoming absolutely essential to networking, digital switches are often the foundation of networks at many scales. Nobody explains the concepts, operations, and trade-offs inherent in switch implementations better than Seifert, making this a terrific reference book as well as a joy to read.
Inside Microsoft Windows 2000, 3rd Edition (Out of Print) by David A. Solomon, Mark E. Russinovich --
A worthy successor to its preceding two editions, this book remains the best source of insight into information about Windows internals I've ever found anywhere. For everything from OS design and structure, to the boot-up sequence, to paging behavior, and topics beyond enumeration, this book has taught me more about how Windows works than any other resource. If you really want to know and understand Windows internals, you could do far worse than loading a Windows check build (with debugging points all turned on) and following their debugger examples step-by-step.
 Ethernet: The Definitive Guide by Charles E. Spurgeon --
As somebody who's worked with and around Ethernet since 1984 you'd think I would have absorbed everything there is to know about the topic by now: Wrong! Spurgeon's book is a great reference and resource for those with Ethernet in their environs. It doesn't deal with more modern multi-gigabit implementations (but hopefully, there's a new edition in the works that does) but is otherwise the most complete and useful reference around on this fundamental networking technology.
Hip Pocket Guide to HTML 4.01 by Ed Tittel, James Michael Stewart, Chelsea Valentine --
I'm a little embarrassed to put something with my name on it into a list of favorites, but my primary criterion for selection was a book I return to on a regular basis for information, inspiration, or technical details. Because I hack HTML documents regularly, and answer other people's detailed questions about the same, I'm continually looking up details about HTML markup, syntax, and its proper application and use. This book's inside covers include an alphabetical list of HTML markup elements with pointers to the pages inside where those details are described and illustrated. It still does the job for me!
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