Rating: 
Summary: Just Keeps Getting Better and Better!
Review: Communications Systems and Networks keeps getting better with each new edition. The book provides extraordinarily clear and concise explanations of every major topic in Voice & Data communications.The author, Ray Horak, is also the editor of Newton's Telecom Dictionary and his experience editing that test shows up throughout Communications Systems and Networks. I give copies of Newton's Telecom Dictionary to every student who attends my TrainingCity.com Voice & Data classes. I strongly recommend this text to anyone involved in IT. It is an excellent starting point for people new to the field, and experienced professionals who need to stay current on the latest trends and developments.
Rating:
Summary: Just Keeps Getting Better and Better!
Review: Communications Systems and Networks keeps getting better with each new edition. The book provides extraordinarily clear and concise explanations of every major topic in Voice & Data communications. The author, Ray Horak, is also the editor of Newton's Telecom Dictionary and his experience editing that test shows up throughout Communications Systems and Networks. I give copies of Newton's Telecom Dictionary to every student who attends my TrainingCity.com Voice & Data classes. I strongly recommend this text to anyone involved in IT. It is an excellent starting point for people new to the field, and experienced professionals who need to stay current on the latest trends and developments.
Rating:
Summary: A very well structured book
Review: Even if I have not yet finished reading it, I think it is really a very useful support to people working in contexts involving telco services. It presents a complete, enough up-to-date, easy, and quick-to-read overview about integration of voice, data and other network facilities. Overall, the author avoids the temptation to dig deeply into protocols (you can easily find tons of papers about) and prefers to clarify and strengthen the structure the different subjects are placed in. Each one is showed in the right time and is given the right room. Oh, I read that this book is very popular among management consultants. But it does not matter, I like it all the same. A succesful effort in unifying a so fragmented field as telecoms services should be unconditionally appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: One Stop "Information" Shopping
Review: Excellence!
Mr. Horak has created a centeralized "information foundation" for all aspects of the communications envirnomnet into one book. This well written, easy to understand wealth of information has proven to be an invaluable tool for both communications rookies and veterans. Looking forward to a possible third edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Great overview book on a very wide field
Review: For someone wanting to get a feel for the breadth of technologies used in telecommunications today, this is a super book. My only quibble is that here and there details are introduced but not explained well enough to really understand. But the references in each chapter to more in-depth materials provide the solution to that problem. What I did appreciate very much was how up-to-date this book is, and how it did make a very good stab at explaining an awful lot of stuff. I suddenly found myself understanding much more about lots of things that I had heard about but didn't quite 'get' - from cable types to ATM switching. As another reviewer said - I think I now know enough to be dangerous - but I also know where to go to learn more in depth on a whole lot of topics.
Rating:
Summary: A Wealth of Knowledge
Review: Here is a primer on the whole spectrum of telecommunications with a special emphasis on networks. Even without knowing much of the details about these fields, most of us realize that the proliferation of broadband networks has brought about new opportunities for convergence in communications. This compendium of communications technologies and trends is an indispensable resource for those in the business of implementing this popular vision. Well organized and comprehensible, even to those of us who are still running to catch the train, the chapters are organized to be read in sequence, each chapter building upon those preceding. The author brings a helpful historical perspective into his coverage of each subject a well as a consultant's-eye view of the latest (c. 2000) industry developments. The reward of plowing through this tome is that the reader gains an essential foundation enabling her to comprehend current discussions of communications systems. If you are looking for a communications systems reference to understand the occasional cryptic technical term, you may want to try Mr. Horack's other book, "Newton's Telecom Dictionary". On the other hand, if you have time to read and need a more thorough understanding of terms and their entire context, you would do well with "Communications Systems and Networks".
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Summary: Communications Systems and Networks
Review: Horak does it again, a Three-Pete, (with your permission MJ). Once again Horak makes a very complex subject so easy to understand and assimilate. As the CEO of an international Internet security consulting firm, I highly recommend this book as an additional to you reference library. Whether you provide complex solutions to Global 2000 companies, or you are just beginning to understand the transport medium that has driven a whole new economy, Buy It. It's worth its weight in Gold, and then some.
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Summary: Encyclopedic Telecom Reference
Review: Horak's third edition updates an ambitious and comprehensive treatise of the subject. If you need an encyclopedic reference work on telecommunications and networking, then this book's for you. Very detailed. I like the historical perspective: does a good job of explaining the transition from analog, circuit-switched networking to today's increasingly digital, packet-based, convergent applications. I also like the "plain-English" style, personal anecdotes and revelations from the author's lengthy telecom career. The organization/morphology is OK; certainly competent given the rapid changes occuring in this industry. It is extremely well indexed and referenced, however, so zeroing-in on specific topics is not difficult. Deserves a spot on any student or professional bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Communications Systems and Networks
Review: I find Communication Systems and Networks (3rd Edition) extremely useful as a reference tool. With the "language" of networking constantly expanding/contracting etc., Ray Horak has done an excellent job in keeping the discussion confined to "plainspeak" and for the "non-tech" in the "tech space" that is very refreshing. It all about applications and the technology as the great enabler.This is a must for every reference library.
Rating:
Summary: Well organized and comprehensive
Review: I found Mr. Horak's recent edition of Communications Systems and Networks to be a great addition to my technical library. It is well written and comprehensive. It has become one of my basic reference books when training new employees because it exposes technical issues in a complete, common sense manner. In my consulting business, I'm often confronted with the need not only to find the answers, but then to help clients to understand why we make certain recommendations. In this third edition, he brings the areas of telecommunications, media, transmission, networks, hardware and software up to date.
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