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I read a lot of books, and I have read pretty much every book written about the Internet's history. None have matched On the Way to the Web in research, accuracy, and readability. The author's research is impressive. He interviewed people who were on hand for historic events, the inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs who started the Internet and commercial online services.
Banks writes in a compelling style that often has the reader unable to put the book down. Really. The editorial description says this book is "absorbing,' and that is an understatement. The reader comes away from this book with knowledge that isn't available anywhere else, fascinating facts like how AOL was descended from GEnie, and the SNAFU of the first Internet messaging was. There is also the fact that "information superhighway" was used in the early 1970s, and the very first information highway was opened in 1973.
The first two chapters tell the story of the ARPAnet. The rest of the book brings out the stories behind the online databases (Lockheed's Dialog, Dow Jones News Service, Lexis, and the like0 and the consumer online service. The consumer services include CompuServe, DELPHI, The Source, Q-Link, Playnet, BIX, Genie, and all the rest. Videotex is here, too.
Unique to this book are the stories of the Internet and online services outside the United States. On the Way to the Web is definitely not Ameri-centric. The early days of consumer networking in Japan, Australia, and Europe are here. You'll read about services like JUNET, NIFTY-Serve, Bildshirmtext, Viewdata, Prestel, Minitel, and more.
Read this for the information that isn't in other books. And a few corrections to disinformatio that's already out there.
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On the Way to the Web: The Secret History of the Internet and Its Founders by Michael A. Banks
Alantrust, November 5, 2008
I read a lot of books, and I have read pretty much every book written about the Internet's history. None have matched On the Way to the Web in research, accuracy, and readability. The author's research is impressive. He interviewed people who were on hand for historic events, the inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs who started the Internet and commercial online services.Banks writes in a compelling style that often has the reader unable to put the book down. Really. The editorial description says this book is "absorbing,' and that is an understatement. The reader comes away from this book with knowledge that isn't available anywhere else, fascinating facts like how AOL was descended from GEnie, and the SNAFU of the first Internet messaging was. There is also the fact that "information superhighway" was used in the early 1970s, and the very first information highway was opened in 1973.
The first two chapters tell the story of the ARPAnet. The rest of the book brings out the stories behind the online databases (Lockheed's Dialog, Dow Jones News Service, Lexis, and the like0 and the consumer online service. The consumer services include CompuServe, DELPHI, The Source, Q-Link, Playnet, BIX, Genie, and all the rest. Videotex is here, too.
Unique to this book are the stories of the Internet and online services outside the United States. On the Way to the Web is definitely not Ameri-centric. The early days of consumer networking in Japan, Australia, and Europe are here. You'll read about services like JUNET, NIFTY-Serve, Bildshirmtext, Viewdata, Prestel, Minitel, and more.
Read this for the information that isn't in other books. And a few corrections to disinformatio that's already out there.
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)