Product Description
A guide to building corporate networks using Web technologies, multiprotocol over ATM (MPOA), RSVP, IP-over ATM LAN emulation (LANE) and other emerging technologies. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for organizations seeking the cost benefits of using internal web tools, a corporate guide demonstrates how to create a client/server network structure that allows instant, random, and unfettered communications.(Advanced).Amazon.com Review
The same technologies that have been used to build a world-wideInternet are increasingly being used within companies to create"Intranets". This is one of the first books devoted exclusively toIntranetworking, and will be invaluable as MIS staff and all membersof your company make the transition from LANs to WANs. Recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Simple!!!
If you don't have a clue where to start when speaking about Intranets read this book. From A to Z, explaining everything in a very simple way

The 1st book to get before the creation of your Intranet
The Corporate Intranet by Ryan Bernard covers every crucial point necessary to "create and manage an internal web for your organization." The language used is easy to understand, gets to the point quickly, and moves from subject to subject with ease

Practical and very useful guide for building an Intranet.
Ryan Bernard's book (published title "The Corporate Intranet"), is one of the best technical books I read lately. It is very clear, useful, well written and practical. The book answered many of my lingering questions. Its "cookbook" approach, well selected and presented examples make it very easy to follow. Unlike in many other books, no new terminology is used before it's explained. I highly recommend it to anyone starting to build an Intranet. Susan Farkas, NYLCare Healthplans, N.Y.C. ... Read more

Product Description
Integrating information on intranets and data warehousing, this valuable resource explains how to design data warehouses that will work efficiently with Web browsers on an intranet, as well as how to link existing data warehouses to a business's intranet. Original. (Intermediate)." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

No value for Microsoft shops
If you are a Microsoft shop, this book is *not* for you. The book devotes only one thin chapter to Microsoft technologies, and that chapter is completely dated. I guess I should have figured as much, given that thebook was published in 1997. Things have changed a lot with SQL Server 7.0,Office 2000, and Internet Explorer 5.0. A book just like this, exceptspecific to the Microsoft platform and up-to-date, would be invaluable tome, but I'm sending this book back. For Microsoft shops, I recommendKimball's books and "SQL Server 7 Data Warehousing" by Corey,Abbey, Abramson, Barnes, Taub and Venkitachalam. The latter is the onlybook I've found that tells you how to use today's Microsoft technologies toimplement a data warehouse. It doesn't have quite as much as I'd like thatis specific to intranet development, but it's the best book that I'vefound.Tony Rogers

BI for Everyman
Rick Tanler's "Intranet Data Warehouse" is well targeted for data warehousing professionals like me: stockpilers of expertise in the DW back-end issues that, up to now, have been critical success factors.We'vebeen procrastinating dealing with the inevitable (and frightening) issuesabout making the these information services digestible tohundreds/thousands "real" people: casual computer users and othernon-technical folks who have absolutely no interest in learning to usespecialized OLAP or data mining tools.How can these services be packagedin a way that is gets managers to use them, and how can we as designers andarchitects engineer systems that address theserequirements for extremesof ease of use and mass utilization?

Tanler suggests that its now time toaddress these issues head on.He introduces the concept of an IntranetData Warehouse (a concept that has since been widely embraced by the BIcommunity) and has written what many may consider to be the benchmarkstandard and high level blueprint for the Enterprise Information Portal(EIP).

I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book for data warehousingprofessionals seeking a view over the horizon to the age of massutilization of BI tools , and those brave enough to begin to consider thetechnical implications of providing BI to Everyman.

An excellent, comprehensive account of DW today.
"The Intranet Data Warehouse" might lead you to believe thatthis book focuses solely on data warehousing in relation to the web - don'tbe misled by that title - this book is packed with information covering thefull spectrum of issues you want to read about.

Rich covers DW theory,implementation, and practice.The vision he articulates of a corporate"information factory" is perceptive of where DW'ing truly addsbusiness value.

There is also an accessible but thorough discussion ofarchitecture issues, platform pros and cons, and the leading DBMS choicesin the market today.There is a particulary good section on the strengthsand weaknesses of Red Brick Warehouse, and the special functions it bringsto decision support databases.

Best of all, Rich carries forward hisvision into a well-defined path to implementation, focused largely on the"big" issues you run into in real-world applications.

Last, hedoes a terrific job of explaining how to get all that information OUT andmake intelligent business use of it.

If you are a Kimball, Inmon, orHackney book owner, this is an excellent addition to thatcollection.

Steven Tracy October 1998 ... Read more

Product Description
Intranet Document Management is the first book to addressthe most important considerations in designing and maintaining anorganization's Intranet. Web site implementers who want to transformdocument and information management by instituting an internal "Web"within their organization will learn how to manage extensivecollections of Web documents, handle very large documents, convertlegacy documents, access databases. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Pleasingly informative, easy to understand.
What a great book! Easy to read, easy to understand

Excellent introduction and guide to document management.
Thanks to Joan Bannan for authoring a book a student can understand!!

I am a registered nurse, currently working on a master's degree in Administrative Studies.I have cited this book extensively in my professional report--a paper outlining utilization of coursework in the workplace.My reportinvolves streamlining the policy and procedure system in a small hospital.This book has been invaluable in developing a project proposal to enhance workplace communication.

Excellent!
Wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading Intranet Document Management. I am a novice Intranet/Extranet Developer (worked on 2 projects to completion), and found this book to be the best computer-related book I own. Joan Bannan does not bombard the reader with techno-babble; computer terms and concepts are explained with clarity, providing a guide to managing Intranet documents for novices andexperienced professionals alike who may desire a written frame of reference to guide them in their own projects.

The result is a book with with well-thought-out organization and excellent readability. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
A guidebook for maintaining an efficient, reliable, and secure Intranet, this title gives Intranet managers, administrators, and Webmasters hands-on solutions, action plans, and checklists for maintaining an Intranet to achieve optimum results. The book provides real-world examples of how to plan, perform, and evaluate tasks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A book with many ups and downs
This book was born out of a great idea, but the very diverse background of the authors did not produce a well-balanced book, but a very irregular one with some great passages and some poor ones. Among the poor ones, it is the8-page long, cryptic RPC code to show that it is better to let tools togenerate some RPC code for programmers. The code is virtually the only onein the entire book and it is very long, not well explained and pointless.Many descriptions of key technologies are superficial and the book goesdown to network details and up to management issues, somewhat lost inbetween. Some newer topics like Java Servlets and Application Servers arenot mentioned, although short-lived LiveWire and current ASP are discussed.Yet there are some deep conceptual insights and a good choice of topics(especially in the technical area). I recommend this book, but you may wantto skip a good portion of it. ... Read more

Product Description
The combination of computer network and accessible corporate information is known as an intranet. This handbook tackles the implementation of an intranet as a process which requires managing (planning, training and promoting). There are case studies of organizations of different sizes. ... Read more

Product Description
Diplomarbeit, die am 01.09.1998 erfolgreich an einer Universität in Deutschland im Fachbereich Informatik eingereicht wurde. Einleitung: Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Entwicklung eines Informationsmarktes für Großunternehmen, realisiert als datenbankgestützte Intranet-Applikation. Die Anwendung soll die Basis für eine lernende Organisation bilden. Dabei muss der Schwerpunkt darauf liegen, das gesamte Wissen des Unternehmens zu dokumentieren, aufzubereiten und strukturiert zu speichern, damit es für jeden (auch künftigen) Mitarbeiter schnellstmöglich zur Verfügung steht und einfach zugänglich ist. Zusätzlich sollen die typischen Arbeitsabläufe im Unternehmen (Workflow) mit Hilfe der Anwendung beschleunigt und vereinfacht werden. Jeder Mitarbeiter wird in der Lage sein, von seinem Arbeitsplatz aus Dokumente und Informationen im Intranet zu publizieren oder nach ihnen zu recherchieren. Konkret soll ein zentrales Information Warehouse entstehen mit der Möglichkeit, Dokumente jeden Formats (Office, PDF, Grafiken, Videos) in dieser Datenbank strukturiert zu speichern und eine Volltextrecherche über den gesamten Datenbestand durchzuführen. Außerdem wird ein interaktives Forum zum Wissensaustausch, eine "Knowledge Base" und ein Modul für Projekt-Management entstehen. Besondere Beachtung soll das "Customizing" der Applikation erfahren, d.h. die Möglichkeit, die Anwendung effizient an vorhandene Unternehmensstrukturen anzupassen. Durch ein durchdachtes, datenbank-basiertes Systemdesign kann flexibel auf sich ändernde Informationsinhalte reagiert werden. Weiterhin soll das gesamte Design auf ein offenes System ausgerichtet sein, um von dieser Basis aus andere, schon existierende Applikationen integrieren zu können bzw. umgekehrt, diese Applikation in andere zu integrieren. Schließlich ist es unerlässlich, potentielle Probleme bei der Implementierung in Unternehmen im Vorfeld zu erkennen. Strategische Fehler, welche die Akzeptanz bei Mitarbeitern zunichte mach... ... Read more

Product Description
Everyone has heard about-the Internet, but what isan"intranet"? It's a powerful new way to use Internet technology tolink all the information inside a company, making maximum use of theknowledge contained in the computers (and minds) of its employees. Anintranet system can be linked to a company's Internet site for adoubly thorough way to capture every bit of relevant information fromwithin the company, its suppliers, its customers-even its competitors.

This first-of-its-kind guide shows both technologists and managerseverything they need to know to:

**explore if an internet/intranet site is right for their company
**present an accurate, savvy, and convincing case for why their
company should use this technology
**understand all the costs involved and explain them clearly tohigher-ups
**design and create the actual system, and then market it successfully
Amazon.com Review
Despite the explosion of online use in companies around theworld, many corporate officials remain befuddled by the technology andits possibilities. Looking Into Intranets & the Internet: Advicefor Managers by industry consultant Anita Rosen provides directionfor its implementation, management and application in almost anybusiness setting. An overview of the basics, explicit step-by-stepinstructions, and actual examples from successfully wiredorganizations make this an effective tool for helping even thecurrently clueless jump online. ... Read more

Product Description
Diplomarbeit, die am 01.08.1997 erfolgreich an einer Universität in Deutschland eingereicht wurde. Gang der Untersuchung: Die Frage 'Was sind Intranets und welchen Mehrwert können sie bei einer innerbetrieblichen Nutzung im Vergleich zu bisherigen Technologien bringen?' wird dem Leser ohne Vorkenntnisse in dieser Arbeit fundiert und doch allgemeinverständlich beantwortet. Als Grundlage wird zunächst die Funktionsweise des Internet und seiner wichtigsten Protokolle sowie Intranet-Komponenten (Web-Server, Datenbankanbindungen über CGIs, Suchmaschinen, verschiedene Typen von Firewalls u.a.) detailliert beschrieben. Darüberhinaus werden technologische und betriebswirtschaftliche Vor- und Nachteile erörtert. Der zweite Teil der Arbeit gibt einen geordneten und kritischen Überblick über die derzeitigen betriebswirtschaftlichen Anwendungsmöglichkeiten und deren Grenzen. Dazu gehören der Einsatz von Intranet-Diensten zur: · Informationsunterstützung(Web-Publishing sowie dynamische Web-Anwendungen mittels Datenbankanbindungen, Push-Technologie). · Kommunikationsunterstüzung (E-Mail, Newsgroups, Chat). · Unterstüzung betrieblicher Kernprozesse(Fallbeispiel zur Optimierung von Produktionsprozessen, derzeitige Möglichkeiten Intranet-gestützten Workflows). · Nutzung von Groupware-Paketen(analysiert und gegenübergestellt werden die derzeit leistungsfähigsten Ansätze zur Integration von Groupware in eine Intranet-Umgebung am Beispiel zweier Groupware-Produkte). Ziel der Analyse in all diesen Bereichen ist es, diejenigen Funktionalitäten herauszuarbeiten, die einen qualitativen Unterschied zu bisherigen (proprietären) Netzwerkdiensten darstellen, also einen effektiven Mehrwert ergeben.Der Schlußteil ist den bedeutendsten, derzeit absehbaren Entwicklungen gewidmet. Wesentliche Untersuchungsgegenstände sind: · die plattformunabhängige, objektorientierte Programmiersprache Java und ihre Bedeutung für echte, Intranet-basierte Workflow-Systeme sowie für netzwerkzen ... Read more

Product Description
This work seeks to show business people how to set up an intranet and how this will deliver fast, easily-accessible and up-to-date information, cut costs, empower employees and save time. It contains step-by-step instructions on planning and producing an intranet and is jargon free. ... Read more

Product Description
MICROSOFT INTRANET SOLUTIONS is the one-stop source for comprehensive information about setting up a corporate intranet while preserving existing investments in hardware and software. The book first shows readers how to create web documents with Microsoft FrontPage(tm) and how to populate their new web sites with data produced by Microsoft Excel, Word, Microsoft Access, PowerPoint(r), and Outlook(tm). There's also abundant information about the server side of things, covering integration issues with Microsoft Information Server, Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server(tm), SNA Server, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The book concludes with web page management, intranet development methodology, how to manage migration and coexistence, troubleshooting techniques, and where to go for additional information. The companion CD includes all the source code and files necessary to create the sample applications in the book, as well as examples of finished applications. The intranet arena will be one of the hottest in 1997, and books like this that show how to set up and use intranets can be expected to sell briskly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Aggresive content and style
The book does a good job at putting the "big" picture together; great style of technical writing.

The code presented in the book is very simplistic and not of much use in real life, even though it is appropriate for teaching purposes.

It is very aggresive while trying to cover too much ground in one book, leaving some empty holes at times.It does however accomplish its goal and main purpose of covering all neccesary technologies (at least the very basic ones) to deploy an intranet. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book, author Steve Krantz first introduces the Internet, intranets, Notes, and Domino. He then helps you analyze your requirements and guides you through the step-by-step process of planning, designing, and implementing an intranet based on Domino. This book also features an exclusive "Members only" web site which offers updates and additional resources - only accessible by our readers! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellant
Very good book, simple to understand ... Read more

Product Description
Using World Wide Web technology, Intranets give employees access to internal company data such as personnel and client records and policy information. This book paves the way for network administrators and MIS and DP professionals to create and manage versatile Intranets with a minimum of effort and time. From two Web and Intranet authorities comes this practical and thorough book covering everything from researching, designing, and creating an Intranet to using it productively and profitably. One important section outlines innovative ways to bring Intranets to life with Java and other leading-edge technology, including online audio and video, 3D graphics, and interactive and VR sites. Illuminating Intranet case studies and success stories are also included. ... Read more

Product Description
The Intranet has been deemed the new killer application for business. This book shows companies how to develop the best plan for implementing an intranet. Revealing the best intranet uses, the book explores how an intranet will fit into the organization, who is going to use it, what it should look like, and other practical strategic issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Well below average.
It started out well, with a description of an Intranet and where it all came from. It then degenerates into a poor version of people management book. The title of the book "Intranet Business Strategies" is a misnomer. There are no strategies at all, rather a set of high level, very glib statements about the fact that "you should sell the Intranet internally" (where else would you sell it?) and "the four stages of a team".

However, THE most patronising thing about this book is that it details meeting agendas and schedules - something I would hope even the poorest of managers should be able to work out by themselves.

Perhaps I was hoping for too much in a book called "Intranet Business Strategies", and so the only redeeming feature of this book is that if you know nothing about an Intranet (from basic people management, technology, or perhaps even putting an agenda together for a meeting), then this is the book for you.

My personal recommendation is that you buy a Internet (not Intranet) technology book, understand the basics of that and work with a partner to do the rest. Its cheaper and a lot less frustrating.

Useful, but dated, information
I should have noticed that the book had not been updated since 1996 (an ETERNITY in "Web Years").The information was useful in a general since, butI feel like I paid to much. I should have just picked it up at the library.

Generally disappointed although useful info obtained
I found a great deal of the content to be superficial and there was also a significant amount of redundancy throughout the book. A VERY beginner-oriented book. That may may well justify the redundancy and emphasis on (shallow) breadth rather than depth. While I still have not found any other books that address what this book attempts to address, because of the reasons cited above, I can only give it a modest recommendation.

Great book.....
Just writing to compliment you on your excellent book - Intranet Business Strategies.I picked up a copy when I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago.Right on the mark.... I'm Managing Director of a Sports Photographic Agency in the UK - total staff 40 including 10 photographers travelling the world with Powerbooks, scanners and modems.The book helped crystalise my ideas - and last week spent half a day making up an Intranet myself from simple HTML pages - demos to Management Team have had brilliant response.The EMPICS IntraWEB opens on Friday ... and I'm sure it's going to be a hit..... Off to buy your Groupware book on the WWW now!!!!

Good advice on people/process aspect of starting an Intranet
This book focusses on the processes to follow in organising the initial setup of an intranet in a organisation. Hence its most useful to those people in medium to large firms with quite formal IT development processes. I used it as input to writing a feasibility study and found it a valuable source for the development approach. Its significant value lies in the fact its one of the few Intranet "how-to" books which tackles the often-neglected but very necessary topics of getting your $, winning over management, organising your team,etc - all the "peopleware" stuff rather than the in-depth technical programming which can be easily found in other books. ... Read more

Product Description
CTR's 268-page report examines the field of high-speed networking and communications with a special focus on the Internet and intranets. The report also examines the latest developments in wireless and mobile communications and how these technologies will impact the enterprise.

The Value of Internet Computing

In today's competitive business environment, corporate expansion and global opportunities are often achieved through effective Internet, intranet, and extranet applications. Implementing these new, universally-accepted technologies can add value to existing communications systems by reducing administrative tasks, simplifying internal corporate communications, and allowing a company to remain competitive in a global marketplace.

CTR's new High-speed Networking and Communications Technologies for the Internet and Intranets report examines the existing communications infrastructure and discusses several of the emerging technologies that can be used to build more efficient, cost-effective, and secure intranets and extranets.

Emerging Intranet and Extranet Technologies

The most critical components of intranets and extranets may be the local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) technologies that unite them. High-speed Networking and Communications Technologies for the Internet and Intranets provides a detailed comparison of these two networks and discusses established and emerging networking technologies, including: Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, Local Multichannel Distribution Systems (LMDS), Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS), Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Frame Relay (FR),and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).

The report examines the driving forces behind these technologies and includes an in-depth discussion of an intranet's position with respect to private line networks, transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) router networks, and the Internet. Client/server (C/S) computing, which forms the fundamental, enabling architecture that provides the framework for implementing Internet computing technologies, is also addressed.

Other Important Issues

While the report covers the technical details of Internet computing, it primarily focuses on how to use the available technologies to build and run effective intranets and extranets. The report does, however, examine protocol architectures to provide a better understanding of the way emerging technologies impact various Internet and intranet products and services.

The key benefits of intranets and extranets -- technology ease-of-use, the flexibility and low cost of desktop software and hardware, and the ability to centrally manage intranet and extranets -- are profiled.

The report also offers a complete discussion of available security tools and techniques including firewalls, packet filters, secure sockets server (SOCKS), and encryption.

Internet Computing -- the Future Business Environment

Intranets and extranets increasingly offer the most innovative, cost-effective way to free information from the inaccessibility of expensive-to-maintain legacy systems, such as mainframes or minicomputers. Approximately two-thirds of Global 2000 companies either already have an intranet installed or are actively considering installing one. In fact, these legacy systems account for 95% of the installed information systems (IS) worldwide.

High-speed Networking and Communications Technologies for the Internet and Intranets details future issues for emerging networking technologies and provides valuable case studies of intranet and extranet implementations. The report helps information technology (IT) professionals implement Internet computing technologies effectively, efficiently, and securely. ... Read more

Product Description
In The Interactive Corporation, author Roger Fetterman explains the new uses of interactive media through case studies of major corporations like Hewlett-Packard Company and Nortel (Northern Telecom).Demonstrating the successes of networked interactive media in business processes, Fetterman dissolves the hype and ambiguity often associated withnew media and answers the important question "What does interactive media mean to me and my business in the new globally competitive marketplace?"

The Interactive Corporation is organized for you to have quick access to the case-study success stories in such business areas as manufacturing and distribution.Leading corporations such as Apple Computer, AlliedSignal, Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Kaiser Permanente, and the The Boeing Company are profiled as they undergo the metamorphosis into truly interactive corporations.Amazon.com Review
Despite the new and (some would say) as-yet unprovencommercial nature of "networked interactive media," majorfirms ranging from McDonnell-Douglas and Boeing Company to KaiserPermanente and Price Waterhouse have been using the technology--suchas modem-equipped notebook computers in the field, and intranets withday-to-day corporate data--to hone their competitive edge. TheInteractive Corporation, by independent consultant RogerFetterman, uses the experiences of these and other forward-thinkingcompanies to place such technological tools and cyberbusiness savvyinto a larger context for those who may glimpse the potential but lackthe know-how or confidence to actively proceed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Using technology to drive improvements in the bottom line
With this book, Mr. Fetterman has provided an excellent resource for companies looking to leverage technology to improve the bottom line.In my own efforts as an IT manager for a Fortune 50 company, I was looking for aresource that would help justify new technology projects, especially in theuse of training.What I found in this book was a new approach thatexplains how to turn technology projects "inside out" to focus onthe business results, and use technology as a supporting tool.Certainlythis sounds like common sense, but I've seen many technology projects,especially in the world of multimedia, that don't "get it."

The book explains how "learning by doing" approaches can bemuch more successful and provide measurable results and high positive ROIover traditional or web-based training.The book provides severalexcellent examples of business projects that have made good use ofmultimedia tools.Mr. Fetterman clearly explains the ROI for theseefforts.

I beleive that anyone in a position to effect employeeproductivity and/or justify expenditures on technology projects wouldbenefit form this book.The case studies Mr. Fetterman provides usereal-world projects and results that are re-usable in any environment.

Fairly Obvious Conclusions With Interesting ROIs
This book is definitely not for Webmasters or anyone familiar with interactive media development except so far as it can serve as an introduction to suit-talk (how to persuade your boss to go all theway).

The first two chapters were interesting but in both case studiesthe task at hand was fairly obvious and didn't present any realbreakthroughs in networking the work environment.

Sorry for the poorreview. I was expecting more.

Good book for anyone in business today.
Mr. Fetterman has identified a topic - The Interactive Corporation -- that is of paramount importance to all businesses today. His approach of emphasizing the understanding of "business processes" rather than focusing on the available hardware and software, is one that every business person should seriously consider.(Quote from the book p.256) "Technology is never the beginning.......Begin by understanding where and when technology should be applied to enhance the outcomes of the process and to satisfy corporate goals and objectives."The book includes numerous examples that further illustrate Mr. Fetterman's points using very specific case studies.A good book for CEOs that don't want to wade through techno-babble, but are interested in how they can begin to think about applying the present and developing interactive computer technologies to their own business.

Good book for anyone in business today.
Mr. Fetterman has identified a topic - The Interactive Corporation -- that is of paramount importance to all businesses today. His approach of emphasizing the understanding of "business processes" rather than focusing on the available hardware and software, is one that every business person should seriously consider.(Quote from the book p.256) "Technology is never the beginning.......Begin by understanding where and when technology should be applied to enhance the outcomes of the process and to satisfy corporate goals and objectives."The book includes numerous examples that further illustrate Mr. Fetterman's points using very specific case studies.A good book for CEOs that don't want to wade through techno-babble, but are interested in how they can begin to think about applying the present and developing interactive computer technologies to their own business. ... Read more

Product Description
While the Web has created a cross-platform interface to text and graphics, the most interesting applications of the Web are interactive. This new 235-page report from CTR examines the benefits and disadvantages of Sun Microsystems' Java. This information will assist information systems (IS) managers in planning, implementing, and evaluating effective Internet and intranet applications.

What Is Java?

While the Web was busily hyperlinking information and making it available worldwide with great success, its limitations as a two-way medium were easily recognized. Interactivity with Web pages was limited to sending E-mail to Web site administrators.

Enter Java, a cross-platform programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java is the leading tool available for developing interactive applications. Small Java programs called applets can be embedded in Web pages, downloaded, and executed on the user's system, regardless of the user's operating system (OS).

CTR's new Java Strategies: High-performance Application Development for the Internet and Intranets report examines Java's potential and its drawbacks, including problems with execution speed in current implementations. The report offers an in-depth comparison of Java and Microsoft's ActiveX, as well as a description of Java's security framework.

Java represents a paradigm shift in computing from static software to dynamically delivered applications with true cross-platform compatibility. Although Java is not a panacea, it is a powerful tool with promise.

Java Applications on the Server

While Java applets are relatively popular on the Web, server-side Java is being used increasingly to develop impressive applications on the server side. The use of Java alleviates the need for Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts and eliminates the concern over users without Java-enabled browsers.

CTR's report explores the advantages and disadvantages of servlets, which are server implementations of Java. Also included is a discussion of Java's relationship to the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and its effect on server-side Java programs.

Java Development Tools and Software

The Java Development Kit (JDK), a package of Java utilities and development tools, includes an interpreter that enables users to run Java applications. The report discusses future directions of the JDK, including improvements in version 1.1 and personal editions for PCs, network computers (NCs), set-top boxes, and telephones.

The report also covers integrating Java with existing databases and other development tools such as the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT) and third-party development tools.

JavaBeans, a component architecture for Java applets and applications, extends the power of Java and provides a more dynamic environment. Although very similar to ActiveX, JavaBeans offers platform neutrality and is more compatible with today's distributed network environments. The report offers an in-depth analysis of JavaBeans and its impact on the software market.

Java Security Issues

Java's architecture was designed for security, allowing companies to distribute applets from public Web pages without fear of destroying data on the user's computer. While this provides for a more secure network computing environment, it also limits the functionality of applets.

The report discusses the potential and real security threats of Java. Various security models for applets are covered, as well as considerations for creating secure Java programs for the enterprise.

CTR's Java Strategies: High-performance Application Development for the Internet and Intranets report examines the multitude of Java implementations, from Web-based applets to full-scale applications to smart cards, and will help IS professionals effectively evaluate the role Java should play in their enterprise. ... Read more

Product Description

The authors base the book's sample intranet on Microsoft's free best practices example, the IBuySpy Portal, and teach you to quickly create an application that exploits the advanced features of ASP.NET. A full explanation of the IBuySpy Portal architecture is provided, which allows you to maximize product usage.

Further, the authors explore customizing existing portal modules, and even build some of their own. In the course of reading, you will acquire a breadth of techniques for ASP.NET development&emdash;from effectively using stored procedures, to creating an advanced user interface with ASP.NET Web Controls. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Outstanding IBuySpy (pre-DotNetNuke) Book!
[...]

I picked this book up about three years to late, as it is entirely written about the original IBuySpy Portal framework, and I am an avid DotNetNuke module developer. The author presents numerous great examples of custom module development for IBuySpy, including a simple library application, extended discussions module, a complex Human Resources module, and a great Document Management System. Keep in mind IBuySpy is the forerunner to DotNetNuke, and all of the modules outlined in the book port nicely to the newer architecture, as they leverage many of the features moved forward into DotNetNuke, like user account integration, portal security, and more.

As I worked through configuring the various samples provided with the book, I got to set up & play with the original IBuySpy Portal framework after nearly three years of playing with it for the for the first time. When it was first released, it very intimidating in some of it's implementation details, although it didn't appear as sophisticated in it's business architecture, unlike the original Reports, Time Tracking, & Issue Tracking kits.

The book provides one of the best guides I have read to everything IBuySpy. The second time looking at IBuySpy portal, I was more able to appreciate the great concepts introduced in it, and I was at times amazed at how simple the IBuySpy Portal is when compared to the latest version of DotNetNuke. With the Introduction of the DotNetNuke Data Access Layer (DAL) in version 2.x, DotNetNuke was able to encapsulate all of the sophistication, and more, of the business layer found in the Time Tracking/Reports starter kits, at which point I was hooked.

I found the Document Management System described in Chapter 9 sophisticated enough that I believed it was worth the effort to convert it to a modern DotNetNuke module. The module is very well designed and documented in the book, so I decided on an uneventful Sunday afternoon to start converting it. Approximately 40 hours of development later, I have completed converting the module to DotNetNuke 2.1.2 (DotNetNuke 3.0.9 was released two days before the writing of this review).

No CD, broken promise of downloadable code
I bought this book for 62 Euros (75 USD) in Lisbon that is too much for 450 pages (with promos, content, indexes, images from internet) book without any CD and with broken promise of the downloadable code!

IMHO, there was no need to bloat the volume of a book and reader's tiredness reprinting from internet the lengthy code examples just for the sake of a few modifications and after that againprinting, again, the resulting snippets (it is proper only for e-books)

Since the book is oriented for working with codes, the absence of electronic version is also the great drawback.

The book seems to be the monopolist on IBuySpy Portal (the only one available) , butI wouldn't have bought it, had I known about mentioned above.

While the book is useful (in abscence of any other choice, esp. in electronic version), I estimate the ratio "price/worthyness" as extremely high

PS
I was also more interested in C# and/or Visual Studio .NET versions of IBuySpy Portal, and I think VB.NET is just inappropriate language for the middle-, like IBuySpy Portal,
and large-size projects)

A Fair review
In order to use this book effectively, you really need a good understanding of SQL and SQL stored procedures.The book isn't for SQL Beginners.The tables come from WROX without the identities being set, so you will need to know how to do that.The book also requires a good understanding of stored procedures, you will need to know how to fix the stored procedure if it isn't working correctly.The easy way to work with the stored procedures and all of the changes the WROX programmers made to IBUYSPY is to load their backup database onto your server using a different database name, then import the tables and stored procedures you need into your Portal database.There are some problems with the code that requires revising the name spaces and assembly references to get them to work with the ASPNET Portal, but once modified the code does work well for the most part.I really wish the WROX programmers had spent more time on the RTF piece.I eventually replaced the RTF functionality with someone else's software, but I have to admit that I learned alot about ASP.NET controls by examining the WROX RTF code.The document management piece is worth the price of the book.The documentation really is not very good but if you study the code, you'll learn alot.I disagree strongly with the reviewer who stated this is for people who want code but don't want to learn what it does.If you can make the WROX code work, you're doing pretty well.

Another "let's get it published asap" book.
If you wish to understand the IBUY Portal, don't count on this book to help you.I didn't like the style and structure of this book.I got the sense that this book was just another rush publication with a group of programmers getting together, assigning chapters with desired content and then got down to pulling and writing code.

WROX needs to do a better job of controlling quality and up front planning for their books.Sorry, but this book shows none of that.The design of the existing site was mostly crammed into a single chapter.A decent database diagram was not included and no UML or other diagrams were presented so we could easily understand the Object architecture.Instead, the documentation was simply a straight lift from sql server table descriptions.I found myself drawing my own diagrams as I went through the book.An architect's perspective was desparately needed in this first chapter.

I won't be buying any more WROX books if things don't improve by enforcing good technical writing standards for their publications.

Good blueprint; confusing target audience.
I bought this book because I have been thrust into the Intranet development world, and I really don't have a lot of experience building multi-functional web pages.I bought this book to really help me understand the IBuySpy portal, and I have used it to customize that package for a couple of different web sites now.

The Good:
The book is very good at explaining the various components of the IBuySpy Portal.It's a lot like a tourist map; highlighting certain pieces (while complete overlooking other aspects).

The Bad:
As others have noted, this book doesn't go deep into explaining ASP.NET, or how to use classes in the .NET architecture.It merely allows you to copy a lot of code, cross your fingers, and see something work.

The Ugly:
As with most "best-of-breed" solutions from Microsoft, stuff breaks.While this particular manual does point out why some stuff doesn't work as well as intended, it doesn't go into a lot of detail (and don't expect it to catch everything).

In Sum:Buy this book if you have a need to get an intranet up and running quickly, and want to impress your non-developer friends.Don't buy it if you're expecting to use it to learn ASP.NET. ... Read more