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Summary: Thanks Goodness for a book like this!
Review: The Telephony buisness is in a revolution! The technical aspects of this buisness changes on whims and is quickly changing. If you cant keep up with the changes, it is a good idea to keep one of these books around. Many times I have had to use this book to find out exactly what a customer or fellow engineer is talking about. It is written in such a way that even a novice or laymen can speak telephony as well as any engineer with a doctorate. This should be a staple book in each and every office that uses communications hardware or software.
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Summary: Mishmash of pseudo-definitions
Review: The author seems to ignore that a definition is a statement conveying the fundamental character of the object under scrutiny and not an arbitrary enumeration of particular features. Consequently, a large part of the so called "definitions" provide only vague descriptions of some arbitrary and irrelevant details, completely evading the meaning of the notion being defined, confusing if not completely misleading the reader.Most bewildering though, Mr. Newton took the liberty to insert all sort of anecdotal facts from his personal life without any relevance to the subject at hand, totally inappropriate in a technical book and almost obscene in the context of dictionary which, by "definition" should be characterized by concision and accuracy. Final caveat: this work contains grossly incorrect statements which are perhaps more excusable than its deviations from the elementary norms of the common sense. Perhaps the author intended to write a romanticized biography of his technical experience and accidentally turned it into a technical book. If this was really meant to be a dictionary however, it is almost an offense to the intelligence and sound judgment of the casual reader.
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Summary: Are you in Telecom? Then you've got to have this book.
Review: It's as simple as that. This book is extremely valuable to both the telecom newcomer and the veteran. If you're in telecom, this book is a must.
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Summary: Tips on buying this dictionary
Review: First, you should understand I update this book every day. I add 50-60 new definitions a week. I fix another 50. Second, there's a new expanded, updated, dictionary published every year. But in the middle of the year that edition is updated and a new book printed, though the cover doesn't reflect the improvements. The reason? The book's distributors have told me it confuses their computers if we issue a new edition every six months. But, in essence, that's what happens. You shouldn't worry about getting the latest "edition" because my publisher ships it automatically. No one knows and no computer is confused. You'll always get the latest edition...
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Summary: Harry Does it Again
Review: Once again Newton's Telecom dictionary has joined my "must have" list of voice & data reference books. As in past years, I insist that students in my TrainingCity.com classes get a free copy of this book. This latest update of the dictionary includes a number of useful additions, and continues the tradition of providing very clear and concise explanations of almost every term and concept you'll encounter when working in this exciting field. Ray Horak has done a great job editing this edition.
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Summary: The definitive Telecom Dictionary
Review: I am amazed at the reviews here that say things like "too much old stuff." How long do you think the telephone has been around? Answer: 124 years! Of course there is old stuff. In telecom, there is stuff that is defined by names of the original items that no longer exist (Relay Rack; Tip and Ring, pulp cable). The telephone is older than the automobile, distributed electric power, the airplane, and Twinkies. Telephones were used during the Spanish-American war, and they did not communicate at 1GB. The value of Harry's dictionary is to collect these little word gems and help you navigate your way through "telephonese" (yet another legitimate OLD word), always remembering that the explosion of the NEW stuff has only occurred in the last decade. As a teacher of telecom and technical subjects to the leading telecom and Internet corporations, I find Harry's book to be the best reference tool I have used. I continue to recommend it strongly to every student of mine. Good going Harry!
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Summary: Great Telecom Reference
Review: Excellent dictionary for anyone involved in telecommunications. I work for a voice over IP company, and my manager has a desk full of these to give to new employees. The way term and acronyms are thrown around in the office, even the most seasoned telecom person will use this. A must have.
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Summary: Incomplete style, very vague.
Review: I bought this book because it was recommended to me by others in my office, but I am honestly not satisfied with the book's vague definitions. It is also annoying the way the author is complimenting himself and his brilliance throughout the book, when a little more detail about the topic would be more usefull to those who really need as much information as they can get *like me*. This book is probably intended for those that have had a networking related job, but for me as a newbie it has left me with lots of questions after reading the definition. This is a great book if you don't need serious information, and it is great for finding out what abbreviations stand for. Some terms are defined well, but they are few.
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Summary: Good Dictionary
Review: Lots of distractions, lots of frill, very broad and general. Good if you want to define abbreviations, not that good for study or learning. Too much old stuff. I have seen better books on telecom that are more up-to-date.
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Summary: Very helpful, and written with good humor.
Review: The alphabet soup of the telecom sector is amazing, and more, its amazingly complex. As an intern at the FCC, I am constantly wading in confusing terminologies that I must understand, and understand fast. My copy of Newton's 16th has virtually never closed since I received it. It really is that helpful. More, it doesnt read like the yellow pages either. As you are looking for a term, be ready for a surprise or two that might make you chuckle. One drawback is that on several occasions a term I needed was not found in Newtons. Could be that my term was simply more esoteric than the others, perhaps. Good book, well done.
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