The Elements of Networking Style: And Other Essays & Animadversions on the Art of Intercomputer Networking

By M.A. Padlipsky and Michael A. Padlipsky

The World's Only Know Constructively Snotty Computer Science Book: historically, its polemics for TCP/IP and against the international standardsmongers' "OSI" helped the Internet happen; currently,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595088791
• ISBN13: 9780595088799
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: iUniverse, Incorporated
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Fundamental background for networkers

I bought this book in 1985 when I was hip-deep in implementing the very protocols he writes against. It had a major impact on my thinking about protocols for the next 15 years and helped lead me out of the morass. Even when I did work on OSI protocols I was able to use the ideas to, hopefully, write a little cleaner and better than I would have otherwise. The current architecture of computer internetworking is philosophically based on the ideas he presents. Without these ideas being so widely propagated we would live in a world dominated by X.25, X.400, and large vendors proprietary implementations of politically written "standards". Thanks to MAP for writing it.

A Book Worth Reading Again

I bought this book almost 11 years ago. I was on the Internet for about 2 years by that time. I was always intrigued by how the designers of the protocol suite designed the protocols for the Internet. I thought the book would tell me something about that.Unfortunately, I did not understand most of the book. Not because the book isn't any good, but because I did not know enough to take advantage of the book. Still, I always remembered the author's opposition to X.25 and OSI.The funny thing is, I went on to program X.25, OSI, and TCP/IP for a large telecom equipment company. I have to admit I totally agreed with the author by the end of my experience in that company.I picked up the book again yesterday, thinking that maybe I would learn something more this time. Sure enough, every page and every paragraph is such a treat. I did not know it would take me 8 years of being in the networking industry to understand the book fully.So, I heartily recommend this book to anybody who is even remotely connected to network programming. You don't have to agree with the author. But he does have a few points worth knowing.

an indispensable classic

When ``Elements'' came out in 1985, I loved it. I referred to it as my favourite book critiquing networking in 1995. And I have mourned the fact that Prentice Hall let it go out of print. Padlipsky's essays are pungent and acerbic; he is opinionated and hilarious. If you want to know what's wrong with X.25 or why OSI failed, Padlipsky will let you know. A wonderful book!