Inventing the Internet
by Janet Abbate · first published 1999
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Scholarly history of how the ARPANET and early internet were built, covering the funding, research institutions and political conflicts behind them; recommended for readers who want the origin story in depth.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In Inventing the Internet, Janet Abbate focuses on the social and cultural factors that influenced the Internet's design and use. She unfolds an often twisting tale of collaboration and conflict among a remarkable variety of players, including government and military agencies, computer scientists in academia and industry, graduate students, telecommunications companies, standards organizations, and network users.
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…early protocol work, though it was definitely not the only player. It's a fairly good example of the public/private innovation networks thesis the book being reviewed here is arguing for. Abbate's book Inventing the Internet (MIT Press, 1999) has a pretty good account of all the various players and how they related.
on “A much-maligned engine of innovation” ↗…blockchain-driven internet' . . . there are so many things that could mean. My expectation is that we will see blockchains taking up role somewhere between servers and databases. I recommend Janet Abbate's "Inventing the Internet". You will feel like a prophet after reading it. I think you could call it an Internet of blockchains rather than 'a blockchain-driven internet'. But the blockchain really is a Pandora's box . . .
on “Kim Dotcom reveals more about his blockchain-inspired alternative Internet” ↗I read it a couple years ago. Quite good, but I still think Janet Abbate’s Inventing the Internet is better (more technical detail, better analysis of the political conflicts that led to the internet in its current form).
on “Where Wizards Stay up Late: The Origins of the Internet (1996)” ↗For the invention and early history of the ARPAnet and Internet I highly recommend Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet: * https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/281818 Inventing the Internet is also pretty good: * https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/753865.Inventing_the_Int...
on “The Backbone: A History of the Internet” ↗…of advanced research after the Russians beat us into space with Sputnik, so computer networking was really quite well within its mission. If anyone wants to learn more about this history, I recommend "Inventing the Internet" and "Where Wizards Stay Up Late." The former is a bit more academic and technical, but still easy to read, and the latter is a bit more focused on the people involved.
on “No Credit for Uncle Sam in creating Net? Vint Cerf disagrees” ↗Inventing the Internet (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/inventing-internet) is a fantastic place to start Innovations in Internetworking (https://www.amazon.com/Innovations-Internetworking-Artech-Te...) is a great collection…
on “Ask HN: Where can one learn about the history of the internet and the protocols?” ↗…it from a library shelf back in 1998 or so, "Computer - A history of the information machine", lists the following book as additional resource about the history of the Internet: Abbate, Janet (2000). Inventing the Internet[1]. "Janet Abbate recounts the key players and technologies that allowed the Internet to develop; but her main focus is always on the social and cultural factors that influenced the Internet's design…
on “Ask HN: Any good books on the history of the internet?” ↗…the migration was a long and painful one for teams. "The transition from NCP to TCP was done in a great rush...occupying virtually everyone's time 100% in the year 1982. Nobody was ready" (Janet Abbate, Inventing the Internet, MIT Press 1999)
on ““I survived the TCP transition” (2013)” ↗…internet. ChatGPT suggested some books: 1. Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet 2. The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution 3. Inventing the Internet Any comments on the above? Or other suggestions?
on “Network Protocols for Anyone Who Knows a Programming Language” ↗