Web Commerce! Web Commerce! Let's all jump on the bandwagon! Seriously, Internet-based commerce is poised for big growth, and Web developers need to stay up on the latest techniques for building cash-generating sites. We've just reviewed five new books that all purport to be about Internet commerce, although as you will see, their subject matter varies widely.
Actual Web-based selling is still considered rather new (although some of us old geezers were doing it oh...three year ago!), and there isn't a lot of good solid information out there. In some cases, it wasn't enough information to fill a whole book, and the authors padded things out a little with various loosely-related subjects. All the books we list here are good books, but some stick more closely to the topic of Internet commerce than others. Below is a brief summary of our findings. Click on the title of each book to read a full-length review.
Electronic Commerce By Frank Griffel, Tuan Tu, Winfreid Lamersdorf (editors)
This new book contains 16 papers covering strategy, execution and support issues important for anyone involved in building merchant systems for the Internet. This is relevant information about the enabling technologies behind electronic commerce.
Web Commerce Cookbook By Gordon McComb
This is the closest thing we've seen to a comprehensive guide to building commerce-enabled sites. Explains how to set up sites to sell either tangible goods, or content. Includes a wealth of useful CGI scripts and HTML templates.
Internet Commerce By Andrew Dahl and Leslie Lesnick
This is also a pretty comprehensive guide to building commerce-enabled sites. Includes a chapter on building commerce sites using Lotus Notes.
The Microsoft Merchant Server Book By Barry S. Wadman, Brad Miser and Marta Partington
This is a very thorough explanation of MS Merchant Server, a suite of applications that offers a unified approach to building a commerce-enabled site.
Frontiers of Electronic Commerce By Ravi Kalakota and Andrew B. Whinston
This textbook covers credit card systems, EDI, electronic cash systems, security, and much more. Its 850 pages cover a vast scope, mentioning an array of Internet-related subjects, but not going into technical detail about any. Perhaps more suitable for managers than for Web developers.
Electronic Commerce - A Manager's Guide
By Ravi Kalakota and Andrew B. Whinston
This book covers many aspects of electronic commerce and communications. It is by the same authors as Frontiers of Electronic Commerce, and expands on that book's subject matter.
Build A World Wide Web Commerce Center By net.Genesis Corporation
This book tells you how to set up an in-house NT Web server, with a view to hosting commercial sites. Web commerce issues like credit cards, electronic payment systems, and security are briefly touched on, but the main focus of the book is on NT Web server setup.
