Byte Wars: The Impact of September 11 on Information Technology

Less sensationalistic than its title suggests, Byte Wars: The Impact of September 11 on Information Technology compiles software developer Edward Yourdon's timely concerns about 21st-century IT security. Specifically addressing government officials, corporate executives, IT managers, programmers, and citizens, he identifies risks to safety, privacy, and other fundamental values and provides concrete steps they (that is, we) can take to disarm threats.

Yourdon is well known for having beaten the Y2K drum vigorously, and it would be easy to mistake him for a hysteria-monger. His clarity, confidence, and good humor will quickly allay any doubts in the reader's mind; though some of his ideas have only the most tenuous link to the events of 9/11, they are all well considered and valuable as we move further into an era we don't yet understand.

Examining emergent systems, resiliency, death-march projects, and more with an eye toward securing our lives and liberty, Byte Wars gives us an optimistic look at our murky future. --Rob Lightner