On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet (Perspectives)
Hardcover, 361 pages
English language
Published April 27, 1997 by Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Pr.
etizens, one of the first books detailing the Internet, looks at the creation and development of this participatory global computer network. The authors conducted online research to find out what makes the Internet tick. This research results in an informative examination of the pioneering vision and actions that have helped make the Net possible. The book is a detailed description of the Net's construction and a step-by-step view of the past, present, and future of the Internet, the Usenet and the WWW.
The book gives you the needed perspective to understand how the Net can impact the present and the turbulent future. These questions are answered: What is the vision that inspired or guided these people at each step? What was the technical or social problem or need that they were trying to solve? What can be done to help nourish the future extension and development of the Net? How …
etizens, one of the first books detailing the Internet, looks at the creation and development of this participatory global computer network. The authors conducted online research to find out what makes the Internet tick. This research results in an informative examination of the pioneering vision and actions that have helped make the Net possible. The book is a detailed description of the Net's construction and a step-by-step view of the past, present, and future of the Internet, the Usenet and the WWW.
The book gives you the needed perspective to understand how the Net can impact the present and the turbulent future. These questions are answered: What is the vision that inspired or guided these people at each step? What was the technical or social problem or need that they were trying to solve? What can be done to help nourish the future extension and development of the Net? How can the Net be made available to a broader set of people?
An uneven and hopeful set of essays on the history and promise of Usenet as a democratizing and generative space for global discussion. The pre-history of ARPAnet is valuable and inspiring, as is the central warning that coming commercial control and influence would distort and reduce the forms of communication from creatively sparking new ideas through conversations to merely consuming information.
This book was made before the era of social media, and barely discusses at all the HTTP World Wide web we associate with the term "net" and "internet" today. What I learned was that the federated internet worked and people loved it.
The book was prophetic in how it believed that corporate interests would stifle the individuals:
Once commercial interests gain control, the Net will be much less powerful for the ordinary person than it is currently. Commercial interests vary from those of the common person. They attempt to make profit from any available means.
