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Rating: 
Summary: a typical classic: have a vision, but too weird
Review: it has a vision, and a good start. but too weird. The author seems like to use peculiar way and terminology to express easy and common practice. e.g. ordinary cgi, database-driven, and the importance of LWP. Yes, perhaps by means of that, it provides some antidote for the everyday practice and good for seeing the vision he presents, but it makes it unnecessarily difficult. however, still worth for reading. It is a big picture book, although there are also a lot of codes (java and perl). I really hate it -- because it is really a must read (ya, the MUST!) for web-engineer, while I clearly know that the author can make it much easier for us.
Rating: 
Summary: Revolutionary
Review: It's amazing how many capabilities there are in MS and Netscape suites (browser + mail reader + news reader) and how they work together. Using SMTP, HTTP and NNTP as the foundation, Udell gives us a vision for the future of online collaboration (even though WebDAV only get passing mention). If you are building an intranet, this is the second book you should read after Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing. To build an intranet in the year 2000 without NNTP capability should be a crime.
Rating:
Summary: Practical insights often overlooked
Review: Jon's book is not typical. It does not provide the same old information about HTTP or HTML or NNTP. It provides a look at what he has learned about writing Internet applications for his office. The software is general enough to be applied to other kinds of offices (his is publishing). The principles and insights are general enough to lead to brand new kinds of Internet applications. The book does get into enough of the details of NNTP, HTTP, HTML, XML, Perl, Java, etc. to serve as examples of using those technologies, but you'll also need the manuals to go out on your own. A very *practical* book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent--A Must Buy for Internet Forum Managers
Review: This is an excellent book. When I first encountered it I wasn't really impressed by the title since I doubted someone could say anything new or interesting about Usenet. Sometime later, though, I read Tim O'Reilly's review in his "Ask Tim" column. Tim recommended it so highly that I picked it up the next time I hit the bookstore. I'm very glad I did because Jon Udell has done a great job of looking at modern groupware concepts and applications, while also giving intelligent treatment to the historical roots of groupware in systems like Usenet. This isn't a book about Usenet, or Lotus Notes, or any specific groupware product. It is about building and maintining modern groupware systems, and it examines this topic from a variety of conceptual and practical angles. This book provides a lot of ideas--good ones. Many of the ideas are so wonderful because Jon always keeps an eye on the future, and provides advice toward ensuring that groupware systems use the best of current technology (e.g., XML) but still remain flexible for future developments. If you manage discussion forums of any kind, or are considering doing so, I recommend that you pick this book up.
Rating: 
Summary: A good overview, though nothing specific
Review: This was a good read, though it was not as technical or as specific as I was hoping for. O'Reilly books are known problem-solvers, and this text was a good one for the beginner. I was aware of the problems my group was facing, and it was nice to find that the problems had been previously tackled. I looked at it as a "consultant" of sorts, a book to hold my hand and take me through the pitfalls and benefits of all solutions available. I would have given this text a higher rating had it provided more practical and hands-on solutions to the problems faced. This book was closer to a "for Dummies" book than it was to the usual O'Reilly bible, and I was a little disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A good overview, though nothing specific
Review: This was a good read, though it was not as technical or as specific as I was hoping for. O'Reilly books are known problem-solvers, and this text was a good one for the beginner. I was aware of the problems my group was facing, and it was nice to find that the problems had been previously tackled. I looked at it as a "consultant" of sorts, a book to hold my hand and take me through the pitfalls and benefits of all solutions available. I would have given this text a higher rating had it provided more practical and hands-on solutions to the problems faced. This book was closer to a "for Dummies" book than it was to the usual O'Reilly bible, and I was a little disappointed.
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