Distributed


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Book reviews for "Distributed" sorted by average review score:

MCSE Training Guide (70-227): Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000
Published in Hardcover by Que (03 July, 2001)
Author: Roberta Bragg
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Average review score:

Not for exam prepping- this bk leaves out the middle ground
As with a lot of books this book does a great job of getting you familiar with the basics. It is very well written. However, it doesn't bridge the gap, which is true with a lot of books, between being simple and adequately preparing for the exam.

Don't waste your time.
I read this book and the Syngress book. This book has many typos, at least one of which could confuse the reader, it is very poorly organized, and it doesn't cover many details needed for the test. I was unimpressed with this book. I felt like I had wasted my money. The Syngress book was a little better.

MCSE Training Guide - Poor Step by Step Examples
Not impressed. I understand Firewalls very well and some people may even refer to me as an expert. I hoped to learn about ISA by Step by Step examples. Unfortunately this book lacks well explained examples, descriptions and details. I needed to configure ISA to publish (and protect) my internal web sites but found only one poorly explained Step by Step Example on this subject. The example referred to other Step by Step examples which I found to be very confusing. I do not recommend this book.


Client/Server Computing for Dummies
Published in Paperback by Hungry Minds, Inc (26 February, 1997)
Author: Doug Lowe
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"Client/server" are buzzwords that are much bandied about but that remain a fuzzy concept in many computer users' minds. In Client/Server Computing for Dummies, Doug Lowe does a decent job of explaining some implementations and applications of client/server networking and how they can make information-centric systems more efficient.

The real value of this book is as an educational tool for businesspeople who suspect client/server computing may solve some of their business problems but don't know enough about the technology to say for sure. Lowe educates these people by showing--with plenty of conceptual diagrams and examples--what networks are and how database applications operate over them. The operator of a small to midsize business could get a feel for networked databases from these pages and gain enough knowledge of the topic to talk competently with a software designer. Much of Client/Server Computing for Dummies is a Structured Query Language (SQL) tutorial that's pretty good. The author explains queries, joins, and reports and provides plenty of example SQL statements.

In the book's later chapters, Lowe gets into the specifics of client/server programming but doesn't succeed to the same degree that he does in the more general chapters; he uses a somewhat scattered approach to application development, touching on many technologies while covering few of them adequately. --David Wall

Average review score:

Excellent high-level overview.
If you've read several ...for Dummies books like I have, you know the quality in the series varies from excellent to mediocre to downright poor. Fortunately, C/S for Dummies ranks among the best of these yellow and black volumes which I keep as a handy reference.

Part I offers an excellent and insightful overview of what client/server computing is, what problems it addresses, and how it evolved to become a standard basic architecture in the IT industry. Also provides a nice explanation as to how C/S computing has played a major role in the industry's shift from merely automating common existing business processes (e.g. invoicing, accounts payable, acounts receivable, etc) to exploiting the technology to reingineer, eliminate or even create new opportunities that would not otherwise be possible. Automation of inefficient procedures does little more than produce fast ineficiency and partially explains why productivity gains during the 1980s were insignificant.

Part II, however, gives a rather superficial coverage of networks. Other than a survey of all the network jargon, the explanations are not very illuminating.

Part III's coverage of databases provides an insightful survery of database concepts, SQL, database design and system analysis. Also guides the reader through a working example of developing a logical two-tier application using Visual Basic. The example may seem simplistic but affords the reader a working understanding of a client font-end program's role in the system and how SQL queries interact with a database.

The remainder of the book delves into several topics such as transaction processing, followed by thorough coverage of the Internet and the Web as well as a survey of all pertinent tools.
The book is a bit dated as client/server is no longer the rage as it was in the early and mid 1990s. The push now seems to be to put applications on the Web either on the Internet or for internal use on a corporate intranet. Nevertheless, the author makes the book a complete reference of today's information systems (at least as of 1999) by complementing conventional C/S topic with coverage of the Web. The author also articulates why the Web is really a C/S system taken to the next logical level thus justifying it's inclusion in the text.

Readers can expect to finish the book with a high level understanding of client/server systems and the Web along with a survey of popular development tools, languages and database packages which are representative of all components of the system. While some explanations may seem shallow, the reader will at least have a good idea as to where to look for more in depth coverage of a topic and what function each piece plays in the overall system.

Get intro but not quite for dummies
I thought the book was excellent at filling in gaps in my understanding of client server computing. It listed hot products from top vendors, explained real-world uses for the products, and offered suggestions on how to approach the client/server decisionmaking process, all in an easy to understand manner. I must add that if I had not had previous experience with IT/Client/server, I would have been lost. I found it a superb introduction to client/server computing.

Great Book for Mainframe Programmer to Learn Client/Servers
When our company made the decision to go to a client/server environment from the traditional mainframe shop, I was anxious to say the least! I have been a mainframe programmer for over 20 years! So I set out to find an easy read of a book which would assist me in transitioning and was pleasantly surprised to find Doug Lowe's book on the subject. He really does a beautiful job of explaining in simple, no-nonsense terminology what client/server computing is all about! I am very happy that I found this book and am reading it for the second time, because of all the valuable material it contains. Thank you Doug Lowe!!


Powerbuilder 6.0 Unleashed (Unleashed)
Published in Paperback by SAMS (01 November, 1997)
Authors: Simon Gallagher and Simon J. A. Herbert
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Average review score:

I want my money back
I have been in IT for 11+ years and recently started moving into the client-server area.This book was used as a college prescribed book for my last semester (not enough copies of the regular book were available) but was so bad, even the lecturer stopped using it. We were told to borrow object oriented powerbuilder books from the library instead and this book was removed from the curriculum.

Book lacks basic examples!
IF you want to own a book that looks impresive and does little to help you understand about Powerbuilder, then this is the book for you. There is more usless information in the book then one can create an object class for.

Good reference book
This is not a quick guide to PowerBuilder but it's a really best reference book out there.

Even for beginner's, this is a good book since learning curve for PowerBuilder is NOT steep.

Also it covers some database stuffs(as advantage of using PowerBuilder stems from easy integration with database through datawindows) that I found useful


PowerBuilder 9: Internet and Distributed Application Development
Published in Paperback by SAMS (19 September, 2003)
Authors: William Green and John D. Olson
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Rehash of old information
I have worked with PB since its inception about 12 years ago. During that time I have purchased everything written about it. This is the worst effort put into print. It is simply a rehash of articles on xml, soap, and internet theory. There is no relationship between PB 9 and this text other than the mention of it by the authors. Save yourself some money and wait or something that actually shows you how to develop internet and distributed applications -- this one does not!!!

Amazing book/Handy reference
For newbiew like me, this is the bible for entering the n-tier world with EAServer. Gives me a very good comparison with other options too.

After having bought this book for my work, I have found my colleagues who take this book for reference often appreciating it's contents, especially for the tips & tricks and well laid out examples.

I recommend all the PowerBuilder/Internet developers to invest in this book. Very affordable with good quality.

Presents the new capabilities of PowerBuilder 9
PowerBuilder 9: Internet and Distributed Application Development is the collaborative effort of computer expters William Green and John D. Olson and comprehensively presents the new capabilities of PowerBuilder 9 along with the architecture and patterns required to create distributed systems in PowerBuilder. Recommended for intermediate to advanced users, PowerBuilder 9: Internet and Distributed Application Development deftly addresses development Web and Intranet-based systems, including Web Services, Portals, Application-Servers, XML, and Mobile Access.


Microsoft Sms 1.2 Administrator's Survival Guide
Published in Paperback by SAMS (February, 1997)
Authors: Ric Anderson, Rob Cryan, James Farhat, Teri Guendling, Blake Hall, Gary Hughes, Lance Mortensen, David Mosier, Jeff Sparks, and Paul Thomsen
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poorly written - overwhelmingly simple introduction
The editor of this book could not have possibly played a significant role in getting this book reviewed prior to publication. The editot should have cleaned up the grammar. There were simply too many short thought that could have / should have been grouped together for increased clarity.

No survival for this guide in my library.
Nothing but an overview. Covers very nicely the topics of what can be done. It is extremely lacking of details of anything that you may need to implement. (If you are a system Admin I would hope you would not need this weak reference.) For implementing the SMS product, especially in an enterprise setting, It is a horrible reference.

good for setting up, but lacking in scripting
This book is good for setting up the software on the servers and on the clients,and gives an overview of how it functions along with the different services and how they interact, but to truely use sms u need to have some scripts, and this book sorely lacked any sms scripting training or setup, what scripting information was given was very vague...


Designing for Scalability with Microsoft Windows DNA
Published in Paperback by Microsoft Press (15 March, 2000)
Authors: Sten and Per Sundblad, Sten, and Per Sundblad
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Windows DNA is Microsoft's multiproduct solution for data portability, multilanguage application development, and deployment of software on heterogeneous networks. Designing for Scalability with Microsoft Windows DNA explains Windows DNA completely, yet with a pedagogical style that's very effective in getting across the essentials of this new and highly capable assortment of technologies. The father-and-son authors have experience in teaching the design of data-driven applications, and their experience is obvious in these pages.

The Sundblads walk through the creation of a three-tiered application (or a five-tiered one, if you break the business rules down a bit) that provides access to a database. Their goal isn't so much the programming that's involved (although they use Microsoft Transaction Server and COM+ a lot), but instead the design of their application, which allows for maximum future expansion. Their style is carefully paced, with a flowing discussion of the decisions that need to be made at each point in the development process, the reasons for deciding a certain way, and the means of implementing those decisions. Code here exists very nicely alongside intelligent commentary. After reading this book, you'll be able to design and build efficient, scalable business applications by using Microsoft's latest data-access and interface-building technologies. --David Wall

Topics covered: Rules and principles for designing and implementing multitier business applications that rely on database access. Various technologies come up in the discussion, including COM+, Active Data Objects (ADO), Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS), Dynamic HTML (DHTML), and Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Average review score:

A bit of everything
I think it is a great book. It gives you an overview of a great concept to have in mind in these days.
Everyone should start learning Windows DNA with this book.
The book goes through many topics. Every one of them is very important. But you must have in mind that it is just the begining. Then you'll have to extend your knowledgement with more specific books in each topic.

A fine, if superficial, overview
It's a bit tough to decide just who this book is directed to. From its title, one would expect it to be aimed at the software architect. For the architect, its recommendations can be summarized as follows:
1. Define a 3 tier architecture with a GUI layer, a COM+ or MTS business services layer, and a database layer.
2. Place business rules in or as close to the database as possible.
3. Define objects by function, rather than state (data storage).
4. Release server resources (objects, db connections) as quickly as possible.
5. Move raw data to the GUI layer via ADO disconnected recordsets or XML data streams.
6. Divide the business services layer into "facade" objects (with which the GUI communicates), business objects (which enforce the business rules), and data access objects.
7. Divide data access objects into "fetcher" (read-only, no transaction) and "modifier" (transaction required) objects.

Items 3 and 4 summarize the principle message. In a sense, this view discards the OOP paradigm of objects as combining state and functionality. It moves them more in the procedural direction: the db holds the persistant state, the GUI has what it needs to display/manipulate/update the data, the middle layer connects the two, passes the state transiently between the two, and enforces business rules in transit. Objects are created, perform one operation, then vanish. They are "stateless."

My own prejudice, coming into a large scale project, was that maintaining state in objects (e.g. held by the ASP session object), to the extent that slow db hits could be avoided, would improve performance. The problem with this view is that those objects consume scarce server resources, and if they are not properly or promptly deleted when no longer needed - or if the demand simply exceeds the resource supply, they will - sooner or later - crash the server. Also, special effort has to be made to point a particular user session to the server maintaining his state, and coordinating multiple users' access to the same information. Stateless objects immediately permit multiple application servers, minimize server memory use, and mitigate the multiple access problem by moving it to the db layer.

I'm not entirely converted to the "stateless" faith, but I'm convinced that the problems of stateful objects are real, and at least need to be carefully considered in the design. This book is the gospel of statelessness.

Ok, that's the architectural content in a nutshell. The rest (90%) of the book is consumed with implementation details. In passing, some design trade-offs - such as where to locate data access objects, are touched on. Along the way, we see how to use Rational Rose to structure and document the design, and speed code development. Since this is a Microsoft Press book, MS Visual Modeler (a Rose clone) is also given its due. XML gets a chapter's intro, and SOAP gets a very brief one. Mostly, the conveniences of ADO are featured including heirarchical recordsets and ADO 2.5 support for the XML DOM. The basics of MTS and COM+ are covered, and many useful developer do/don't tidbits are supplied. Alas, error handling is virtually ignored, and ASP is hardly mentioned, although DHTML rates a nice, if brief, chapter. In summary: it's a light but valuable read. Spend a day or so reading it; you won't regret it.

If you're already a software architect, then most of the implementation details are either well known or irrelevant to your job. If you're a developer, some are familiar and others new - depending on your speciality and experience. Perhaps the real audience for the book is developers who are architect-wannabe's, or need a roadmap of the technologies so they can understand what the other members of the team are doing, why the project is structured as it is, and what they need to learn to do their piece of the job right.
As such, it's excellent. It is clearly written, with one simple but illustrative example followed throughout, and maintains a gentle sense of humor. If you're looking for in-depth treatment of any of the various technologies, or a careful study of architectural tradeoffs, this book will disappoint.

The DNA Book For the beginner and intermediate VB Programmer
I reviewed the book as a candidate for the textbook of choice in a VB training curriculum. I found the book to be most suitable to beginners and intermediate programmers. The book covers the architectural aspects of DNA by developing the concept step by step to derive the proper design. The methodology used through out the book enhances learning through an iterative design tuning process. A welcomed addition is the use of UML for modeling.

If you are an experienced VB developer you will be better reading "Professional Windows DNA: Building Distributed Web Applications with VB, COM+, MSMQ, SOAP, and ASP"


The Essential Distributed Objects Survival Guide
Published in Paperback by John Wiley & Sons (September, 1995)
Authors: Robert Orfali, Dan Harkey, Jeri Edwards, and Daniel Harkey
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Average review score:

lots of jargon, poor explanations
I found this book to be full of unintelligible jargon. If you don't already know what it means, don't expect to find out here. I'm tired of books like this. Is it so very difficult to start from the beginning and write clearly? *** It's not just the failure of the authors in a case like this -- what about the editors? It's their job to make sure that an ordinary, intelligent reader can understand an "introductory" text like this. Did *they* even understand it? *** Maybe CORBA is superior to COM (or maybe not) - but I'll tell you one thing: David Chappell's "Understanding ActiveX and OLE" is a model of how to do this kind of book *right*.

The bible of distributed objects
Orfali, Harkey & Edwards are some of the most influential leaders in the distributed object field. This book is highly readable, and does something that few comprehensive books do: present the technologies in a sufficient manner for both managers and programmers. Their biases are very clear throughout the book: they're rooting for CORBA/OpenDoc.. Which reflects the age of the book. Unfortunately OpenDoc looks to be lost, while CORBA continues to still be used by industry. They treat OLE (ActiveX) like a second-class component model. (It's up to you to decide if it really is :) However, this book will get you "there" faster than any other, with good sprinkles of Oliver Sims' Business Object work, and Taligent's Commonpoint technology (the concept of which may become our future computer user-interface..) A Must read!

Distributed Computing is like Childs Play
Hi friends, I am an E-commerce consultant in silicon valley , I can say only one thing about this book - This is a terrific book.


Building Distributed Applications with Visual Basic.NET
Published in Paperback by SAMS (15 January, 2002)
Authors: Dan Fox and Quilogy Inc
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Aimed at the reader who has a little previous VB experience, Building Distributed Applications with Visual Basic .NET combines a thorough tour of basic VB .NET programming with excellent material on its support for Web services in a smartly organized tutorial that will benefit a wide range of readers.

Even though its title might suggest that this text focuses exclusively on the high-end world of distributed computing, the book manages to cover a good deal of basic VB .NET programming first. Early sections do a particularly good job of covering the new object-oriented features of the new VB (which will mean ramping up for experienced programmers), with good material on creating business components. The focus on what's new in VB continues with good explanations of structured exception handling (compared to the older On Error standard) and new ADO.NET APIs for databases.

It may surprise you that Web services are not the only ways to do distributed computing in VB .NET. The author's tour of the new .NET Remoting (the successor to Distributed COM) shows off how to call remote components across systems. Sections on COM+/.NET interoperability show how the two component standards can coexist.

Later sections in the book concentrate on VB .NET used with ASP.NET for Web programming, with good coverage of the new Web services. After some material on exploiting the built-in features of .NET classes for file I/O, multithreading, and even cryptography, the author gives some excellent advice for building Windows system services, with good specifics on installing them, plus adding event logging and performance monitoring abilities. A quick nod to network programming is illustrated with an FTP client that shows how easy it is to get to the network in .NET. The author covers XML basics and the classes used to read, write, and transform XML in .NET. Other ways to extend the reach of .NET with Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ) and Active Directory show how .NET components can take full advantage of advanced features available on the Windows platform with less hassle than with the older COM/COM+ standard.

All in all, this text does justice to the rich array of options for getting VB .NET components to play well with others, whether across the Web or on the same server. Particularly for its coverage of accessing advanced Windows platform features, this book fills a worthwhile niche for those creating higher-end software with the new VB with an appealing focus on reusable distributed objects and components. --Richard Dragan

Average review score:

Second rate author with third rate company
Give it up for a failing, tired, third rate company that is not going anywhere. Dan is not the best but he deserves better. The book is not too bad but I have seen better especially some of the newer books. He's getting better. At least Box is not writing from Q.

Make it relevant
Hey Spike, if you're going to bash my book at least be man enough to give your name. The review also wasn't relevant as it attacked the company I work for and didn't say anything about the book. I would expect that review and this one to be deleted.

Great Insights
I enjoy the clarity and pace of the author's writing. The first part of the book lays a basic .NET foundation rich in explainations and diagrams. Part two emphasizes Enterprise component building techniques while part three integrates the concepts presented. I found the code samples to have many insights helpful in developing real-world business applications. I highly recommend this book for those moving beyond .NET basics and learning on their own.


Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2000 With XML (Pro-Developer)
Published in Paperback by Microsoft Press (30 June, 2001)
Author: Graeme Malcolm
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For any developer who wants to do more with XML and databases on Windows, Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with XML provides an up-to-date guide to some current XML tools and features available on the Microsoft platform. This example-packed book can let you get more productive with the latest generation of SQL Server tools.

After a quick tour of what XML means for business today, whether in business to consumer (B2C), business to business (B2B), or business to enterprise (B2E) scenarios, this text jumps right in with a tutorial on using XML in Microsoft Transact-SQL (T-SQL) supported in SQL Server. The author provides nuts-and-bolts information on querying databases and returning XML, along with different options for formatting XML data.

Next comes a tutorial for using ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), the preferred standard for programming with databases in Windows, and how to use XML within this API. Short code excerpts will show you how to perform common programming tasks quickly. The support for XML in Microsoft doesn't stop there, of course, and the book next focuses in on support for Web publishing in SQL Server through XML. This powerful feature shows you how to define templates that can be used to query and update data via HTTP using URLs. Sections on mapping schemas show how XML can be used to move data between different database schemas. An important section on the T-SQL OpenXML function shows how to perform a range of database tasks, including inserting XML data in bulk into database tables.

In its closing sections, this text illustrates key technologies using a nicely functional online computer store complete with shopping basket, product catalog, and simulated order processing, all using XML techniques demonstrated earlier on.

In all, this book delivers a solid tour of what's available in SQL Server, ADO, and other Microsoft tools and technologies. Suitable for any Windows IT professional who works with databases, this title is a capable tutorial and guide to what's out there today with XML on the Microsoft platform. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

  • Overview of today's XML for business used with Microsoft database technologies (integration with XML, B2B, B2C, and B2E scenarios)
  • Transact-SQL (T-SQL) support for XML in SQL Server (SELECT FOR XML, RAW, AUTO, and EXPLICIT modes)
  • ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) support for XML (XML query templates, executing XML queries)
  • SQLOLEDB XML properties (including style sheets and managing the output format)
  • Web publishing with SQL Server (SQL Server HTTP publishing overview, publishing a database, virtual directories and IIS, URL queries, plus style sheets and stored procedures)
  • XML templates for retrieving data over the Web (templates and parameterized templates, style sheets, posting templates)
  • XML mapping schemas (mapping schemas used with ADO and over HTTP, advanced notations)
  • Using OpenXML for receiving and inserting XML documents (overflow data and edge tables)
  • XML for SQL Server 2000 Web Release (using Updategrams to insert, query, update, and delete XML data)
  • Case study for an online computer store using SQL Server and XML (including catalog and shopping basket management, connecting to BizTalk Server 2000)
  • Appendix for a basic XML tutorial
Average review score:

A book for Beginner to Intermediate Level
This is a great book for a beginner of SQL Server 2000 and XML. Starts off from scratch and walks you thru every aspect of XML and building a complete XML enabled web pages.

This is a good book for any one that is looking to find over all information that can give glimpse into the features of SQL Server and be able to utilize to build XML-enabled data-pages.

Make sure you buy the 2nd Edition
Most of the reviews here seem to relate to the first edition (which was admittedly kind of short). The book has been updated, and the second edition covers new stuff like XSD Schemas, Diffgrams, SOAP Virtual Names, and all the other SQLXML 3.0 features. I found the book really useful, and easy to read. The examples are great and the concepts are all well explained. Definitely worth buying if you're planning to use SQL Server's XML functionality.

Good! And rapid.
I never expected so much useful information into such a small book. Good books don't sell by weight or page count.
I found this book concise and clear (this man knows how to teach). It sure doesn't explain everything about the subject, but it gives the big picture, with an impressive number of details too.
Ideal to start working in small time.
NOTE about who is this book for:
As title state, this book teaches how to use the XML features of SQL Server 2000, not how to use SQL2000, so if you don't know SQL Server you better read something else first.
From the XML XSL XPath X... side, this book is also for novices as it has a very good appendix that teaches all you need to understand the book.


Pthreads Programming: A POSIX Standard for Better Multiprocessing (O'Reilly Nutshell)
Published in Paperback by O'Reilly & Associates (01 September, 1996)
Authors: Bradford Nichols, Dick Buttlar, and Jacqueline Proulx Farrell
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o'reilly should be embarrased!!
I read the book a number of years ago to learn pthreads.
I found numerous errors in the examples -- speaking
at work to a colleague I recall we laughed at this book --
It was such a disaster.

I may read the book again (over the last few years I learned a lot about
pthreads) and give a careful analysis of it.

I had a first printing -- there were gobs of errata on
Oreilly's site -- maybe they put in enough corrections so
the examples run -- but I'm amazed how shoddy the first printing was.

Stay away from it...

Not the best effort I've read...
The short code snippets are horrible. If the author wants to save money and space by using code snippets, it should be checked and checked again for accuracy. There are numerous errors in the code. For example, on page 80, there is an example of condition variable usage. However, there are no function prototypes! This is just one of numerous obvious ommissions. Trust me, there are non-obvious errors too. If you're looking for an overview, this will do you fine. However, if you're looking for some decent code examples to look at, I'd suggest Butenhof's book instead.

Multi-threaded programming is difficult enough, why make it harder for yourself?

Pretty Good
I found it too be an excellent overview. Its treatment of the issues associated with threads and signals I think was especially useful. My only complaint is with the Quick Reference in Appendix C. The reference provides no description of possible function call errors. While I admit the errors are dependant on the particular Pthreads implementation, however there are a core number of errors that would be common throughout all, or at least most, implementations. The point is if you are to do any actual programming, which I presume is the reason for a reference of function calls, you need to know what return values to expect. Providing no reference would have been better then providing a useless one.


Related Subjects: Financial Book Review Distribution-Cost Distribution-schedule Dividend-growth-model Dividend-income Dividend-policy Dividend-rights Doctrine-of-sovereign-immunity Documentary-Collection Documentary-collections Documents-against Dollar-bonds Dollar-roll Domestic-International-Sales-Corporation Domestic-bonds Domestic-series Dont-know Double-auction-market Double-dip
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