How the Internet Works Book

Written by the knowledgeable Preston Gralla and superbly illustrated, this book is an excellent and technically versed introduction to the technology behind the Internet. How the Internet Works takes some complicated concepts, like the workings of TCP/IP (the protocol which drives the Internet) and the principles of mark-up languages such as HTML, and removes much of mystique sometimes associated with this global exchange of bits and bytes. At times, the book does skirt over some of the more daunting and indigestible issues, and due to space constraints doesn't always provide the detail and comprehensive coverage to satiate the inquisitive reader. For example, it talks about server-side imagemaps, without even mentioning that many are implemented with client-side scripting. The choice of content is excellent and covers the tip of the technological iceberg, with discussions of Real Audio, VRML (Virtual Reality), Java and Pointcast. This isn't a practical guide for Internet beginners, but for those who've read the dummies guide and want to know not just how to work it, but how it works, this is a fascinating read. --Josh SmithRead More