Finance-Software

Dr. Nelken has compiled a series of articles
by a variety of authors dealing with particularly
diverse aspects of exotic options.

Although some of the papers contain useful
information, the book does not deserve to
be called a "handbook": it is more like a
loose compilation, thus making it useless
as a reference.

I ordered the book in 1998 at my local
bookstore and felt cheated after the
first browsing. The extra star is there
to praise the occasional pearl of wisdom
you will encounter while reading through
all 15 chapters.

Finally, the cover advertises with
"valuable software included", referring
to a demo (!) of EXOTICOP (c). I strongly
disagree: the program is nothing more
than a black-scholes type exotics pricer
with a primitive interface, barely touching
the level of an undergraduate paper.
To add insult to injury, some of the
input parameters are frozen in the
demo version.

To put it in dealer's phraseology, this
book is a big yours.

I've recently had the chance to read this book, and though I feel it is a fine read as far as the style and lanaguage go, it's somewhat of a rehash of other writings on the subject.

I am a hacker in the sense that I have the knowledge of mathematics and programming, the understanding of computer organization, and I subscribe to the "hacker ethic".

Now on to the book. This book appears largely to be based on a gathering of the old writings of The Mentor but rewritten for a specific audience (for those of you not familiar with the handle, The Mentor was one of the first hackers, and one of the most prolific. He laid down the fundamentals by which hackers live, and wrote the famous Hacker's Manifesto). Yes, many new ideas were added to this book, but there is quite a bit that sounds like a tweaked, and less offensive, rehash of The Mentor's writing as well as the essays of various other hackers. That's not to say the writing isn't original in some sense, but mostly it's been done before. I wouldn't suggest it unless you are new and unfamiliar with the hacking field, and are looking for some insight into it, without being flamed or being confused by "buzz words". Also, this book should not be expected to be a tech manual, it's more of a look into the hacker's psyche, and it essentially praises hackers and supports them, so it might make a good picker-upper if you're a hacker down on your luck ;).

I'll agree with the reviews by "a reader" and by Mikko on various points. The book does not do a particular good job of explaining who individual hackers are and why they do what they do. In retrospect, I don't think that is what the author intended to accomplish. But that wasn't what I expected. This is a scholarly work and is not light reading. If you don't want to be reading a thesis on changing social movements, then this isn't a book for you. This isn't called "The Hacker Ethic" because it's about hackers any more than "The Protestant Ethic" is really about Protestants. The Hacker Ethic is merely the author's label for an attitude toward life and work which happens to be exhibited by hackers. This book is about that social attitude (a changing emphasis on flexibility in work and play and time) and not about hackers -- except as that social attitude may relate to individuals. I also found the description of modern/digital society to be very interesting in the first part of the work, but it did get thicker as the work went on. Some of his later comparisons seems unclear and not nearly as well developed as earlier portions of the work. The conclusions felt lacking, but that doesn't seem uncommon in this type of work. I certainly don't regret reading this, as it did open my eyes to some aspects of the modern society which I hadn't noticed or which I tickled the back of my brain but hadn't seen clearly enough to put into words. It was not at all what I expected, but worthwhile, nonetheless.

The Hacker Ethic is a late 1990s Information Age treatise. The author, a gifted and young sociologist, posits that the Protestant Ethic is gradually giving away to a new paradigm, and that the new paradigm will be much more effective and functional than the old paradigm. Seems simplistic, but much of Himanen's treatise is excellent and hard to ignore.

If I can fault the work, it would be along the lines that it can misinterpreted by slackers as a way of mindlessly rebelling against employers and western culture altogether. Too many Generation X advocates will take this like Charles Manson took the White Album. This is a solid, introductory work not to be read by nihilists.

Overall, I think Himanen is a very promising figure in the Information Age and will probably make a great long-term contribution to global society. I expect bigger and better things from him in the future.

This book breaks down the complex world of data communications very well. As someone who has had virtually no experience in this field I was able to capture a massive amount of information in a manner that was easy to understand. This complex topic was made easy by Dr. Bidgoli. His easy to read writing style was aided by helpful lists, photographs and a comprehensive glossary of terms. Another great feature of this book are the real life examples of how companies use data communications technology. I would recomend this textbook to anyone who wants to learn about data communications.

Finally a data communications book that everybody understands is published!

Dr. Hossein Bidgoli, in his 2000 publication, Handbook of Business Data Communications: A Managerial Perspective, addresses a wide range of Data Communications and networking topics ranging from the OSI Model to an in-depth discussion of Local Area, Metropolitan Area, and Wide Area Networks. Professor Bidgoli uses his extensive knowledge of the educational process to convey critical data communications information to managers, as well as future managers, of both large and small businesses. The book covers a broad range of topics ranging from basic information to in-depth technical data communications information in an easy to understand format. Basic topics include: Intranets, Extranets, Network Topologies, the OSI Model and many other important data communications topics and applications. Through in-depth discussion and accompanying case examples, Professor Bidgoli presents the information in an easy to comprehend manner. The Handbook of Business Data Communications: A Managerial Perspective is a must read for both IT managers and IT students. Professor Bidgoli gives an in-depth easy to follow presentation of both basic and complex data communications technologies. This book is highly recommended for both professional and educational use. *****

Perhaps Professor Bidgoli's greatest strength is his ability to break difficult and complex information systems issues down into understandable terms. This book takes all the mystery and confusion out of communications issues and makes sense of what is otherwise very difficult material to master. His approach, backed up by solid industry examples and thorough end-of-chapter learning resources has made a true believer out of me! I can tell you that even after 20 years in the information systems industry, Dr. Bidgoli's book still presented an incredible amount of new and interesting information in a very creative way! I highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to "demystify" the entire topic of data communications.

This book provides both selection criteria and a process in which to apply them. It's based on the author's R2ISC method. This method stands for Requirements (current and future), Implementability, Supportability and Cost. Both the criteria and the process are provided in detail and in a step-by-step approach, which has the following benefits:

(1) Ensures that the major selection factors are thoroughly examined.
(2) Reduces cost and technical risks by examining those aspects of the selection.
(3) Addresses the alignment of requirements to business needs, which is often overlooked when IT is entrusted to perform selections (the main failure I've observed is that IT gets too caught up in technical details and features without looking at the way packages support business requirements - this book's approach will prevent that from happening if followed).

Criteria in more detail are:
- Current requirements: how well does the package being evaluated map to current
business needs
- Future requirements: can the package being evaluated be modified to support future business needs (which you will need to forecast).
- Implementability: what is required to implement the package (how well does it fit into your existing technical environment and strategic technology plan)
- Supportability: How much training is required? Are special skills needed that need to be hired or contracted? Are there impacts to existing systems, processes and workload?
- Cost: TCO - total cost of ownership. What will ongoing support, including vendor contracts, cost. This is where the real surprises emerge because the initial costs of a package are but a fraction of the true cost.

The R2ISC process is straightforward and looks deceptively easy at a high level. It consists of the following Set the Goal (rate each package under evaluation against the R2ISC criteria), Narrow the Field (the short list), Select the Winner and Sign the Contract. The last step is the one that is fraught with peril and can undo the best evaluation if the contract is improperly negotiated. The book gives excellent pointers.

If you are faced with software selection this book will give you a clear set of criteria and a process. Be aware that the approach looks easier on paper than it is in practice. This is not a criticism of the book or the approach, both of which are excellent, but a warning that the process takes hard work and due diligence - two ingredients that no book can provide.

Excellent book for both an IT professional or business manager. Presents a well planned methodology and rating method for selecting a software package. Includes plenty of examples. Also includes project planning for the selection process, RFP essentials, contract negotiations, workshops, scripted demos,...

Book has some editing problems but they are minor compared to the overall content of the book.

Nathan Hollander is an excellant author of this great guide to software package evaluation & selection. It is great for those new to the computer world and also for those entrenched in the computer sciences. This guide is easy to follow and with its great detail allows the reader to understand the R2Isc method. Personally, I use this book as a guide and quick refference as well as recomending it to my students. Hollander is gold with this, his third guide, and I recomend the use of this book to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of computers.

Alexis Leon's "A Guide to Software Configuration Management" is an excellent book on the SCM subject. His writing style if very clear and easy to read. Mr. Leon has taken what can be a very confusing subject and made it clear not only to the programmer types but also to anyone involved with system projects. The book in broken down into very logical and progressive chapters that fit together to give an entire overview of the SCM process. The chapters can also be read independently as a valuable reference tool. The end of the book includes appendices of SCM web sites, a glossary and descriptions of SCM tools available today. This book is a must for anyone working on a project.

This book covers the theory and practice of SCM in an easy-to-read style. The sections of theory and SCM tools are very useful for professionals, managers as well as tool users. The exhaustive bibliography and the section on SCM plan and SCM implementation have helped me in implementing SCM in my company. This book is a must read for all software professionals who are practicing configuration management in their projects, project leaders and project managers who want to develop a good software configuration management system in the projects/organizations and managers who are in-charge of tool selection and system implementation.

There are more comprehensive books on SCM, such as Jessica Keyes' "Software Configuration Management" (ISBN 0849319765), but none that will get you as quickly up-to-speed on the basics and key issues as this book.

Mr. Leon steps you through the what's, why's and how's of software configuration management in a clearly written manner that is refreshingly devoid of fluff or side trips into esoteric areas. He clearly explains the entire SCM cycle from identification to configuration Control to status accounting to audits and reviews. Each of these critical areas are explained in sufficient detail to allow you to thoroughly understand the scope and complexity of SCM without becoming overwhelmed.

Another strength of this book is the chapter on configuration management plans, which will provide the new SCM practitioner with a solid starting point and template from which to work. The chapters on SCM organization, implementation and SCM in large projects are also solid and quick reads with enough information to get you started.

Some of the material in this book is, unfortunately, out of date - the chapters on tools and Internet resources could use an update - or better, a supporting web site instead of inclusion in the book - but the chapter on standards is still applicable and is a good resource for further research.

If you're an experienced SCM practitioner I recommend you get Jessica Keyes' book I cited above; however, if you are new to SCM and want a quick-start guide that will give you the basics this is the best book on the subject.