Detailed description Netizens, 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?
From the contents Foreword.
Preface.
Introduction.
PART I. THE PRESENT: WHAT HAS BEEN CREATED AND HOW.
Chapter 1. The Net and Netizens: The Effect the Net Has on People's Lives.
Chapter 2. The Evolution of Usenet: The Poor Man's ARPANET
Chapter 3. The Social Forces Behind the Development of Usenet.
Chapter 4. The World of Usenet.
PART II: THE PAST:WHERE HAS IT ALL COME FROM.
Chapter 5. The Vision of Interactive Computing and the Future.
Chapter 6. Cybernetics, Time-sharing Human-Computer Symbiosis and Online Communities: Creating a Supercommunity of Online Communities.
Chapter 7. Behind the Net: The Untold Story of the ARPANET and Computer Science.
Chapter 8. The Birth and Development of the ARPANET.
Chapter 9. On the Early History and Impact of Unix: Tools to Build the Tools for a New Millennium.
Chapter 10. On the Early Days of Usenet: The Roots of the Cooperative Online Culture.
PART III: AND THE FUTURE?
Chapter 11. The NTIA Conference on the Future of the Net: Creating a Prototype for Democratic Decision-Making Process.
Chapter 12. "Imminent Death of the Net Predicted!"
Chapter 13. The Effect of the Net on the Professional News Media: The Usenet Collective/Man-Computer News Symbiosis.
Chapter 14. The Net and the Future of Politics: The Ascendancy of the Commons.
Chapter 15. Exploring New York City's Online Community: A Snapshot of nyc.general.
PART IV: CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD DEVELOPING A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK.
Chapter 16. The Expanding Commonwealth of Learning: Printing and the Net.
Chapter 17. 'Arte': An Economic Perspective: The Role of "Arte" in the Production of Social Wealth.
