While engaging in its loopiness, this book backs up its famous joviality with technical expertise that's unsurpassed by any other similarly comprehensive resource. Entries in this dictionary--many of them more closely resembling encyclopedia articles in their thoroughness--cover the hardware, protocols, and government regulations that define telecommunications systems worldwide. Whether you're interested in landline technologies, wireless standards, medium-neutral data protocols, or the systems that have developed to properly bill telecommunications users, Newton's Telecom Dictionary has the information you need.
Once in a while, you'll find a careless error in these pages, such as the claim that Windows for Workgroups 3.11 is about to be made obsolete by Windows 95. These errors seem to reflect a bias among the members of Newton's team toward large-scale communications systems and away from consumer-oriented computer technology. Nonetheless, Newton's Telecom Dictionary earns its keep in a world where personal computers and communications appliances seem to be merging. --David Wall