Newton's Telecom Dictionary 15 Ed [Paperback]

Harry Newton (Author), Ray Horak (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1578200318 | ISBN-13: 978-1578200313 | Publication Date: April 1, 1999 | Edition: 15th

This book is required reading for anyone involved in the telecommunications industry from salespeople and buyers to managers and developers. Telecom is undergoing revolutionary changes as television, telephones, PCs, networks, the Internet, and other technologies converge, with new equipment and terminologies being created every day. No matter how technically savvy, no one can keep up with the explosion in telecom terminology. Harry Newton adds, changes, updates, and expands over 100 definitions a week just to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation. Terms are explained in clear definitions and mini essays, sprinkled with Newton's dry wit.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The technology of long-distance voice and data communication incorporates millions of details. The business of selling that technology involves plenty more. Anyone hoping to navigate this jungle of facts and terminology had better keep a copy of Newton's Telecom Dictionary close at hand. It's the single best resource for quick explanations of diverse telecommunications technologies.

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

From the Back Cover

What does telecoms technology mean? What does it do? What are its benefits and pitfalls? The book provides the answers to all these common questions & and more. Dispensing with geek-speak and techno mumbo-jumbo , it defines 23,500 complex technical terms and so enables everyone who works in business to understand the topic. It guides readers in making the most of their telecoms resources, and will help them to save money on airlines, hotels and the newest gadgetry, as well as maximise the reliability of their networks. From ADSL to ZigBee, this is everything anybody needs to know about telecoms! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 936 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books; 15th edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578200318
• ISBN-13: 978-1578200313
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,030,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needs to be on the desk of every Telecom professional, May 31, 2000

By 

Todd Wylie "toddwylie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Newton's Telecom Dictionary: The Official Dictionary of Telecommunications Networking and Internet (Paperback)

Learning telecommunications is difficult when you realize that this industry thrives on producing thousands of worthless acronyms. When I started out in this field, it felt like I was learning a foreign language--and I was. This book will prove invaluable to as you as you work your way through a hoarde of acronyms that most people using them can't fully explain when questioned.

Bruce from Dallas, raises a valid point, the definitions do not stand on their own to fully explain the concepts. If you are coming to Telecom for the first time, and that is what you are looking for I would recommend the "Desktop Encyclopedia of Telecommunications" by Nathan J. Muller. This book deals with fewer terms than Newton's but goes into greater detail. If that is still not enough try the "Voice and Data Communications Handbook". Newton's though is still valuable and has its place. It should be used to spell out acronyms. That is what its for and that is what its good at. I refer to it at least five times a day, and I buy every new edition. It is a valuable resource.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best reference - terms for telephony, data, internet, etc., March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Newton's Telecom Dictionary: The Official Dictionary of Telecommunications Networking and Internet (Paperback)

This is my third purchase of the dictionary and it is for home, not the office. I first purchased it about 14 years ago, as a reference book for telephony terms. As communications and data began to merge, I bought the 12th edition. The technology field has changed so much again, that I need to update my version of the dictionary. Harry Newton mentions that he adds about 100 new words a week. Over the years I have recommended this book to others, who have also found it helpful for learning what terms mean in technology. I know the book is an excellent source for telephony and it appears to be a very good source for internet and data terms. The dictionary includes some "humor" and is not hard reading. It tries to explain words for "non-techy" people, while still covering the subject and/or definitions well.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Far more than a dictionary; an entire overview of a great industry., May 30, 2007

By 

Harry Newton "Harry Newton, Author" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Newton's Telecom Dictionary (Paperback)

I'm the author of this dictionary. I'm biased. I need to clear things up. When Amazon first listed this dictionary for sale, it forgot to include all the enormously favorable reviews this dictionary has received in the past. The reason is that this 23rd edition has a different ISBN number to all other editions. Years ago Amazon asked me to do this so as not to confuse editions. But doing so meant that each edition starts off as though it's a new book, awaiting user feedback and user reviews. My point in writing this review is to tell you it's not a new book. It's the same book that's received all the accolades, except that it had another year of adding more definitions, cleaning up old definitions, updating standards and technology and all the good stuff my readers expect.

I'm very proud of this book. It represents over 25 years of my life. I'm also proud that so many telecom, networking and Internet companies give it to their new employees. "Welcome to this wonderful industry." they say, "There's a lot of jargon. Here's a good explanation of the most popular 23,500 business terms, technologies, standards and slang. Enjoy."