Marketing Description

Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary, by Ray Horak, is a comprehensive telecommunications dictionary of more than 7,500 terms critical to understanding voice, data, video, and multimedia communications system and network technologies, applications, and regulation. Given the convergence of computing and communications, the book also effectively is a computer dictionary with a telecom focus. Although the book is a technical dictionary, Horak’s plain-English, commonsense style yields definitions that are as thoroughly understandable to the business professional or student as they are to the electrical engineer. In fact, many entries are encyclopedic in nature, discussing applications and issues. Horak also injects a bit of his wry sense of humor, but not to the point that it detracts from what is an important book on a serious subject. An instant classic, Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary is the one and only telecom dictionary you will need.

Published by Webster’s New World (October 2007)
568+ pages, $29.99
ISBN-10: 047177457X
ISBN-13: 978-0471774570

Example Book Review

Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary, by Ray Horak is somewhat mislabeled, as it is not only a comprehensive telecom and datacom dictionary, but also defines a great deal of terminology from the domain of computers and computing. The book is thoroughly researched, highly objective, and absolutely accurate. The 7,500 or so definitions include just about every term, abbreviation, acronym, contraction, initialism, and portmanteau you might encounter in the telecom and datacom domains, but without a lot of the fluff you find in competing works. Horak does, however, sprinkle occasional telecom and technical trivia and marginally (or even totally) unrelated definitions that will have you smiling and chuckling to yourself. Analogue, endianess, Hellenologophobia, hoot ‘n’ holler, insure, Luddite, OCD, PC, and WMBTOTCITBWTNTALI come to mind. Horak never loses sight of the fact that telecom is serious business, however, and you absolutely can bank on the information in this book. Speaking of banking, Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary won’t break the bank, so to speak. Even at a full retail price of $29.99, it is a real bargain.

Example Book Review

Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary, by Ray Horak, is a comprehensive telecommunications dictionary of more than 7,500 terms critical to understanding voice, data, video, and multimedia communications system and network technologies, applications, and regulation. Given the convergence of computing and communications, the book also effectively is a computer dictionary with a telecom focus. It is thoroughly researched, highly objective, absolutely accurate, and includes just about every essential term, abbreviation, acronym, contraction, initialism, and portmanteau you might encounter in the telecom and datacom domains. Although the book is a technical dictionary, Horak’s plain-English, commonsense style yields definitions that are as thoroughly understandable to the business professional or student as they are to the electrical engineer. In fact, many entries are encyclopedic in nature, discussing applications and issues. Horak also injects a bit of his wry sense of humor, sprinkling occasional telecom trivia and marginally related definitions that will have you smiling and chuckling to yourself*, but not to the point that they detract from what is an important book on a serious subject. An instant classic, Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary is the one and only telecom dictionary you will need. It also makes a perfect companion to Horak’s Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook, published by Wiley-Interscience in October 2007.

*Check out the following:
· Analogue
· endianess
· Hellenologophobia
· hoot ‘n’ holler
· insure
· Luddite
· OCD
· PC
· WMBTOTCITBWTNTALI

Webster’s New World Telecom Dictionary

Amazon Book Review by Ray Horak

Admittedly, this review is somewhat biased, since I am the author. As Amazon requires a rating for every review, I’ll give myself 5 stars. After all, it took me the best part of a year to write this book, even though I based it on 30+ years of experience in the industry and drew considerable background content from the 3 editions of my best-selling Communications Systems and Networks (1997, 2000, 2002) and from my very recent Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook (2007). Bill Flanagan, my Technical Editor, is a big part of the reason for the long gestation period. Bill has an extensive background in telecom and, as a formally trained mathematician and physicist with practical experience in electrical engineering, possesses a different perspective on the subject. Coupling all of that with his unswerving attention to technical detail, his insistence on absolute accuracy, and his experience as the author of a dozen or so excellent books ensured that each of the 7,500 or so definitions in this book is absolutely correct in every respect. We so firmly believe in the special nature of this book that I am compelled to offer some comments.

This book is a comprehensive telecommunications dictionary of more than 7,500 terms critical to understanding voice, data, facsimile, video, and multimedia communications system and network technologies, applications, and regulation. Given the convergence of computing and communications, the book also effectively is a computer dictionary with a telecom focus. It is thoroughly researched, highly objective, absolutely accurate, and includes just about every essential term, abbreviation, acronym, contraction, initialism, and portmanteau you might encounter in the telecom and datacom domains. Although the book is a technical dictionary, I have written it in my unique plain-English, commonsense style, intended to yield definitions that are as thoroughly understandable to the business professional or student as they are to the electrical engineer. Many entries are encyclopedic in nature, discussing applications and issues, as well as technical specifics. I have also injected an occasional bit of humor by sprinkling some telecom trivia and marginally related definitions (e.g., endianess, Geneva Convention, Hellenologophobia, hoot ‘n’ holler, insure, Luddite, OCD, PC, rules of engagement, warrior’s code, and WMBTOTCITBWTNTALI) that I hope will have you smiling and chuckling to yourself, but not to the point that they detract from what is an important book on a serious subject. (Note: I do not take myself all that seriously. I do, however, take my work very seriously, but not so much so that I don’t have a bit of fun with it, now and then. If I didn’t enjoy my work, I guarantee you that I would find something else to do.)

I own hundreds of books on telecommunications and data communications, have read at least some of all of them, and have learned something from each. In many cases, I learned how not to write a book. I also own at least 50 telecom, datacom, computer, and engineering dictionaries and encyclopedias. I even contributed to multiple editions of one of them. However, I find each of them to be lacking. Some are inaccurate and incomplete, as the authors lack sufficient understanding of the technology and, for whatever reason, did not expend the effort to learn about it. Some are so chock full of fluff, absolute nonsense, personal bias, and other irrelevancies as to be not only useless, but even counterproductive. (I could cite chapter and verse, but I won’t.) I also have access, as you do, to a number of on-line dictionaries, several of which are open source, meaning that they are written by anyone and everyone and, therefore, cannot be trusted.

This book is none of those things. It is relevant, accurate, and unbiased. It is the best we could make it. You can take every one of the 7,500 definitions in this book as gospel. If you are involved in litigation support, as I am, I assure you that you can take every one of them to the courthouse and swear to their truth. (In the words of Will Sonnett, that is “No brag, just fact.”) That said, please contact me with your comments and any errors or omissions you might discover. With your help, I am confident that the next edition will be even better.

By the way, the perfect companion to this book is Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook, also by Ray Horak (me). Bill Flanagan served as Technical Editor for both books. We made sure that each complemented the other. Your compliments (as well as your constructive criticisms) are welcome.