Szyperski, with Gruntz and Murer, has made an invaluable contribution to the literature on component software with this book. The wealth of information provided is amazing. The text will appeal to advanced-level architects and programmers. After reading this edition, I regretted missing the first edition of this book. The authors have succeeded in providing a good overview of the current status of component development and its adoption, as well as commendable coverage of related technologies. The book is comprehensive in its coverage of the subject matter.

The chapters of the book are well organized and sequential. The evolution of component software from objects and object-oriented programming is presented with clarity, and topics such as differences between services and components and between objects and components are highly useful for beginner and intermediate readers.

Though the author is working with Microsoft, he has presented the material without any bias toward Microsoft products and technologies. An impartial outlook of all of the strengths and weaknesses of the technology is included.

This book is not only useful for the advanced technologist, but also for the beginner. All four parts are neatly prepared and edited so that no reader will get bored reading them. The authors anticipate questions readers may have, and provide corresponding explanations throughout. The authors demonstrate their maturity with this monumental work. The component paradigm is not limited to some basics, but goes to the level of logical and practical significance.

General and wiring standards are good chapters for anyone and everyone. They are the common bases that everyone has to stand on for building applications. Component models and platforms are dealt with in Part 3 of the book. The topics and the material under them deserve close study. The book covers everything in four parts: “Motivation,” “Foundation,” “Component Models and Platforms,” and “Architecture and Process.”

Though there are some repetitions of the subject matter, they are required to make the kind of emphasis or recall they do. The way object-oriented programming is explained is quite interesting, for it is different from the way most textbooks handle the subject. Some of the topics are only for advanced programmers, while there are topics for beginners, too. The chapters and topics are sensibly interspersed with one another and arranged well. I would strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in components.