These Slashdot book reviews have become useless. In general, if you have a book review, go put it on Amazon.com.
In this case, the review is confusing and spends too much time on anecdotes, trivia, and debunking misconceptions. It's also totally in conflict with itself:
The topic itself is not exactly compelling..., so the book is more of a detailed technical reference. Those looking for a highly technical overview, interoperability guidance, and overall reference will find the book most rewarding.
So is the book a detailed technical reference, a highly technical overview, or an overall reference? I'm totally confused.
A good review might start with an expanded table of contents, explaining the topics in the book, what level of experti
I also thought the review was overly wordy and hard to parse. For example:
One of the ways Stapleton brings his broad experience to the book is in the many areas where he compares different types of cryptosystems, technologies and algorithms. This enables the reader to understand what the appropriate type of authentication is most beneficial for the specific requirement.
Could easily be written as:
Stapleton compares different types of cryptosystems, technologies and algorithms.
Leaving plenty of space to list more concrete information from the book, like the Parent suggested: a table of contents.
Meta-review (Score:5, Insightful)
These Slashdot book reviews have become useless. In general, if you have a book review, go put it on Amazon.com.
In this case, the review is confusing and spends too much time on anecdotes, trivia, and debunking misconceptions. It's also totally in conflict with itself:
The topic itself is not exactly compelling..., so the book is more of a detailed technical reference. Those looking for a highly technical overview, interoperability guidance, and overall reference will find the book most rewarding.
So is the book a detailed technical reference, a highly technical overview, or an overall reference? I'm totally confused.
A good review might start with an expanded table of contents, explaining the topics in the book, what level of experti
Re:Meta-review (Score:2)
One of the ways Stapleton brings his broad experience to the book is in the many areas where he compares different types of cryptosystems, technologies and algorithms. This enables the reader to understand what the appropriate type of authentication is most beneficial for the specific requirement.
Could easily be written as:
Stapleton compares different types of cryptosystems, technologies and algorithms.
Leaving plenty of space to list more concrete information from the book, like the Parent suggested: a table of contents.