Rating: 
Summary: A Fascinating Story Well Told
Review: In the beginning ....This book does a terrific job of explaining how it all began. The accidental meetings, the breakthroughs, the mistakes and the luck which all came together to create the Internet -- its all here. The authors do a great job of including the details that make the Internet human. For example, why is there an '@' in all e-mail addresses? The answers in this book. If you work in an Internet company, are fascinated by the Internet, or just enjoy a reading a good story, well told, this book is a worthwhile buy.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't suck.
Review: It rules
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated, but decent
Review: It's an OK book, but the bureaucratic jostling should have been left out and I wish they'd have included more about the early culture of the internet, as Steven Levy did in "Hackers" (though on a different subject). When they did, I found it quite interesting. Levy's work was also much more readable; this book reads like it was overedited. That said, it's not bad, per se, and is the most informative read I've had so far on the pre-WWW internet.
Rating:
Summary: And it's also a "leave-it-unsaid" jewel.
Review: Lots of information is conveyed with excellent editing making this book a very fast read. But AT&T's 6-year opposition to distributed processing is as appropriately treated -- without comment -- as the telegram sent by Senator Edward Kennedy's office to Boston-based BBN Corportation when the latter landed ARPA's contract for the Interface Message Processor: Congratulations on your contract to build the "Interfaith Message Processor." This book's a beauty.
Rating:
Summary: MOST EXCELLENT FOR NON-WONKS
Review: Lots of information is conveyed with excellent editing making this book a very fast read. But AT&T's 6-year opposition to distributed processing is as appropriately treated -- without comment -- as the telegram sent by Senator Edward Kennedy's office to Boston-based BBN Corportation when the latter landed ARPA's contract for the Interface Message Processor: "Congratulations on your contract to build the Interfaith Message Processor." This book's a beauty.
Rating:
Summary: Reads like a good mystery.
Review: One of the most exciting books about the Internet I've ever read. It's an inspiration for anyone
with an interest in the hive mind. I've sent copies to my twin sons, who are inveterate hackers (the Wacko Cracko Brothers.) A plus of this book is
it's ramifications for those of us involved in setting
corporate strategies. It reveals how chaos is a fact
of modern life that must be received openly and acted
upon with dispatch. Another good book about this is Kevin Kelly's "Out of Control."
Rating:
Summary: Amazing description of the origins of modern day's wonder
Review: The best part of this book is the simplicity of expression without missing the facts relating to how it all happend.
Rating: 
Summary: fascinating!
Review: The book describes the APRANet and the development of the technology it uses (e.g., TCP, FTP, packets, IP, etc.) in great detail. It's a shame it leaves other networks of the time on the sideline. Nonetheless, it makes great reading if you are interested in the history of the Internet.
Rating:
Summary: An 8 not a 10.
Review: The book is chock-full of information on Arpa and ArpaNet, but sort of slacks off around 1987.I guess that's only to be expected, the idea was to chronicle the beginnings of the Internet and by the late 80s it was too large for such a slim book to do that era justice.If you want to learn about how the original ArpaNet was put together, the people behind it, and how the Internet's technical foundations were laid, the book is excellent. If you're interested in how Usenet started, how the Web came to be what it is, this isn't the book you want. The book covers the older history, and skims over recent events. It's still quite a valuable addition to your bookshelf. I'm sure someone will come along one day and write a history of the web, usenet, irc and the evolution of MUSHes. The book reads very easily, I thought the balance between the technical and the dramatic story was perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, quick read
Review: This book deals with the early days of the internet. The authors do a great job in explaining all the terms: IMPs, packet-switching, protocols. They also describe all the personalities who weave in and out of the ARPANET project--Al Gore wasn't one of them : ). I didn't know anything about the internet, but I found this book easy to read.
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