Rating: 

Review written: August 18, 2000
By Donald W. Larson
Email: dwlarson@sd.znet.com
Web Site: http://www.sandiegodon.com/
Book reviews: http://sd.znet.com/~dwlarson/bookReviews.html

The Internet is in full swing, more and more people are starting to create content for the web using some of the new HTML (HyperText Markup Language) tools available. For those that want to understand what goes on underneath the hood, this book is an excellent reference.

Underneath the hood in this case refers to how the browser sends and receives information to a HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) server where the content is primarily managed. For anyone wanting to understand the communications of the messages between the browser and the server, one must understand the protocols underlying the communication process. Typically, system administrators, web site developers, and software engineers need to know this topic very well.

Essentially this book delves into great detail surrounding the basic message transactions: Requests, Responses, and the Parsing of those categories. Static web pages (files, usually ending in .html), web forms, and cgi functionality rely on the proper sequence of commands being issued and understood between the browser and server. The book explains every command and response/ error code that is exchanged in the dialog (headers) comprising the transactions. As such, the book also serves as a handy encyclopedia of terms and definitions concerning HTTP.

Portions of the book explains some of the differences between browsers and the evolving versions of the HTTP Standard, cookies, MIME, authorizations, persistent connections, and client (browser) caching of information. There are certain caveats in these implementations and the book helps point some of them out.

I would like to suggest that for the Second printing, that an index is added to the book. There are a number of places where information should be easily cross-referenced so adding an index is a requirement, in my humble opinion.

Rating: 8 out of 10
This rating is my own personal value system and as such is very subjective. I think a rating of 5 means I would read finish reading a book. A rating of 10 would indicate I had trouble putting a book down and have no complaints at all about it.