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It's difficult to categorize FireWire System Architecture: IEEE 1394. It's not quite technical enough to serve as a replacement for the official IEEE 1394 specification, yet it's definitely not written for laymen. My impression is that FireWire System Architecture: IEEE 1394 was intended to replace the IEEE 1394 specification, but it doesn't ever quite get there. The purpose of a book such as this one should be, in my opinion, to supplement the official specification: To explain the parts of the specification that are ambiguous and to supply real-world technical examples of each major IEEE 1394 feature. This book doesn't do either of these things.
That said, however, the book on its own terms is well written and technically accurate. The IEEE 1394 technical details are covered well, and the diagrams are quite nicely rendered. The chapter entitled "Example 1394 Chip Solutions" (written by Texas Instruments, arguably the IEEE 1394 technology leaders) was a nice touch, and showed IEEE 1394 hardware examples, although I didn't think it was anywhere near long enough.
As an engineer who works daily with IEEE 1394 technology, I didn't really find anything in this book that I didn't find in the official specification, and I can't imagine that anyone interested enough in IEEE 1394 to buy this book wouldn't have the official IEEE 1394 specification at hand. For example, one of the most misunderstood areas of 1394 node management is the Configuration ROM and I expected to find some examples of properly formatted Configuration ROM data; however, it wasn't included. Another thing that was lacking was a detailed bibliography or detailed reference listing, which is essential in such books.
I also didn't think the title was appropriate. FireWireTM is a registered trademark of Apple Computer and virtually all companies developing IEEE 1394 products (such as Sony, Texas Instruments, Symbios Logic, Adaptec, Fujitsu, etc.) avoid the name FireWire like the plague. Sony, for example, has coined its own term -- I Link. The title should have been IEEE 1394 System Architecture instead, but I'm sure the publisher thought that FireWire was more catchy.
My criticisms notwithstanding, the book reads well, and is a good value at $34.95. Depending on the depth of your interest in IEEE 1394 technology, the book can certainly be worth having in your library.
-- Thomas "Rick" Tewell
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Explanation of ERCB rating scale: No stars = unacceptable, 1 Star = marginal, 2 Stars = average, 3 Stars = above average, 4 Stars = exceptional.