BKRS2SOL.RVW 940811 Sybex Computer Books 2021 Challenger Drive Alameda, CA 94501 USA 510-523-8233 800-227-2346 Fax: 510-523-2373 or Firefly Books 250 Sparks Avenue Willowdale, Ontario M2H 2S4 416-499-8412 Fax: 416-499-8313 "The RS-232 Solution", Campbell, 1989, 0-89588-488-7, U$24.95/C$32.95 Most computer users, even those dealing with communications and modems, will not have to deal with the intricacies of the RS-232 (or EIA-232E) interface standard for serial communications. You buy a cable, plug in the modem, and that's the end of it. For those who do want to know more, this book is fascinating--as well as being completely accessible for the non-technical reader. Part one deals with the interface, reasons for an interface standard, and the general concepts and tools needed to attack an interface problem. Part two is primarily a series of "case studies" and specialized examples. Interestingly, Campbell nowhere gives a full listing of the RS-232 pin assignments, concentrating on the "Big Eight" which do form the foundation of almost all serial communications. The chapter on the Mac is most interesting--the Mac does *not* have an RS-232 port, relying instead on a subset of the EIA-422 standard. Some notes are odd, however. The juxtaposition of a marginal note complaining about the IBM PC asynchronous (serial) port is placed, without comment, next to a discussion of male and female connector assignments. Read carefully, it indicates that IBM was right, but it may confuse some readers. Those who want the full technical details of the interface specification will have to get them elsewhere. Few will want as much detail on printers as is given here. For those hobbyists truly interested in the interface, this is an intriguing, and potentially quite useful, source. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994 BKRS2SOL.RVW 940811 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Oct. '94) Springer-Verlag