Network Distributed Computing: Fitscapes and Fallacies

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 256 pages
• Published by: Prentice Hall PTR May 2, 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0131001523
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0131001527
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.4 pounds

Back Cover Copy


Networked distributed systems: Foundations, breakthroughs, and implications

• Building tomorrow's ubiquitous, pervasive networked computing systems
• Technologies, protocols, messaging, software, integration, collaboration, security, and more
• Avoiding the eight classic fallacies of distributed computing
• The role of XML, Web services, Spaces, Jini, and other key technologies
• Ten powerful megatrends driven by networked distributed computing

Networked distributed computing (NDC) systems are driving an ongoing technological revolution that has already spawned the Internet and will soon transform the world into one ubiquitous, pervasive "information field." In Network Distributed Computing: Fitscapes and Fallacies, Max K. Goff reviews the field's crucial challenges, state-of-the-art solutions, and breathtaking future. Goff covers both the "trees" and the "forest"-showing how NDC has evolved, where it's headed, and above all, what it all means.

• Building NDC "fitscapes": new frameworks that turbocharge innovation
• Leveraging Moore's Law, Gilder's Law, Metcalfe's Law, and the latest R and D advances
• Overcoming the eight classic fallacies of distributed computing
• Enhancing collaboration, security, and dependability in networked computing environments
• Integrating wired and wireless networks: key software challenges
• Messaging and communications protocols for distributed, interoperable systems
• The roles of XML, Web services, Spaces, Jini, and other key technologies
• NDC-driven megatrends: Semantic Web, global transparency, nanotech, robotics, and beyond

About The Author


MAX K. GOFF, former Technology Evangelist for the Java software Division of Sun Microsystems, travelled worldwide for six years, discussing the benefits of Java and related technologies, notably Sun's Jini protocols for developing distributed computing systems, intelligent devices, and self-configuring networks. With twenty years in software development, Goff left Sun in 2003 to leverage his technology experience in a private consulting practice for merger and acquisition events, representing medium-sized firms in the United States. Goff holds an Executive MBA from the University of San Francisco and is a professional-level member of the World Future Society.

Reader Reviews
Today I was able to finish the review on the book Network Distributed Computing by Max K. Goff (Prentice Hall). If you're looking for a high-level work that deals with much of the theory and direction of NDC, you'll get a lot from this book. The chapter breakout: Fitscapes and Fallacies; Ten Technology Trends; The Scope of NDC; NDC Theory; NDC Protocols; NDC Messaging; NDC Datacom: Wireless and Integration; Today's NDC Frameworks; Tomorrow's NDC Framework Options; Fallacies and Frameworks; Composability: Real-Time, Grids, and the Rise of an NDC Meta-Architecture; Innovation and Convergence; Index Now let me go on record right away. I deal much better with practical hands-on material. I want to see code and systems. From that perspective, this book was a let-down. You aren't going to find code you can cut and paste to build a peer-to-peer client. Having said that, this *is* an excellent book to understand exactly what types of issues are involved in conceiving, designing, and building NDC systems and architectures. In fact, I could easily see this as a textbook for a college-level course on the subject. The author stays remarkably vendor- and platform-neutral, so you won't get an overdose of *just* Sun or .Net approaches. Not having spent much time thinking about all that goes into NDC systems, I was amazed at the complexity and issues that come into play for even the simpliest applications. With the increasing significance of distributed computing, I think most IT professionals could benefit by reading through the material and becoming aware of trends that will be here in very short order.