or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
87 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
A Brief History Of The Future: Origins of the Internet
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

A Brief History Of The Future: Origins of the Internet (Paperback)

by John Naughton (Author) "A book-lined study, late at night ..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually dispatched within 3 to 5 weeks.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

6 new from £2.75 79 used from £0.01 2 collectible from £1.75
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 26 used & new from £0.01
12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
Get up to 65% off some of our top titles. Shop now

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Frequently Bought Together

A Brief History Of The Future: Origins of the Internet + How the Web Was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web (Popular Science) + Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet
Price For All Three: £31.07

Some of these items are dispatched sooner than the others. Show details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

How the Web Was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web (Popular Science)

How the Web Was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web (Popular Science)

by James Gillies
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £17.10
The Future of the Internet: And How to Stop it

The Future of the Internet: And How to Stop it

by Jonathan Zittrain
3.5 out of 5 stars (4)  £8.22
The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal (Sloan Technology)

The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal (Sloan Technology)

by M. Mitchell Waldrop
5.0 out of 5 stars (2) 
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet

Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet

by Katie Hafner
4.2 out of 5 stars (11)  £7.98
Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity

Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity

by Jakob Nielsen
4.2 out of 5 stars (30)  £17.49
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 334 pages
  • Publisher: Phoenix; 2nd Revised edition edition (5 Oct 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 075381093X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0753810934
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 214,962 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Future of the Internet opens new browser window
www.InternetEvolution.com  -  The future of the Net is coming Get in on the action: Register Now! 
   The Internet History opens new browser window
www.Ask.com  -  Search for The Internet History Find The internet history 
  
 

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Histories of technology usually go one of two ways. Some focus on the science; others emphasise personalities and culture at the expense of technological detail. But engineering professor-cum-Observer columnist John Naughton has written a book that does both. A Brief History of the Future weaves together scientific account and personal anecdote, and the result is a mesmerising account of the origins of the Internet.

The Internet, argues Naughton, is one of the 20th century's greatest inventions ("a force of unimaginable power"), but the individuals who built it have been overlooked. Truly great programmers "are like great poets or great mathematicians" and should be treated accordingly. In a volume sprinkled with literary references, Naughton redresses that oversight, starting at MIT in the 1930s, where the seeds of the Net were planted by three fascinating personalities, Vannavar Bush, Norbert Weiner and J.C.R. Licklider.

Later chapters explore the work-sharing ethos and Open Source movement that grew up among the programmers who worked on the Internet, and the World Wide Web, the system invented by Tim Berners-Lee that has been largely responsible for the popularisation of the Internet. Always the professor, Naughton has included a glossary of terms and an associated Web site with up-to-date reference material. He never shies away from explaining important technical innovations like packet switching and TCP/IP, but does so using metaphors that are accessible to non-scientists.

But the heart of the book is Naughton's account of his own fascination with the Internet. Growing up in remote rural Ireland he loved the radio, which made "links to other places, other cultures, other worlds". The Web allows communication on an even larger scale, and he heralds the democratic promise of this fundamentally open, communal and evolving system. Clearly Naughton is enraptured with the Net, and that passion comes across on every page of this intelligent, compelling book. --Tamsin Todd



Product Description

The Internet is the most remarkable thing human beings have built since the Pyramids. John Naughton's book intersperses wonderful personal stories with an authoritative account of where the Net actually came from, who invented it and why, and where it might be taking us. Most of us have no idea of how the Internet works or who created it. Even fewer have any idea of what it means for society and the future. In a cynical age, John Naughton has not lost his capacity for wonder. He examines the nature of his own enthusiasm for technology and traces its roots in his lonely childhood and in his relationship with his father. A Brief History of the Future is an intensely personal celebration of vision and altruism, ingenuity and determination and above all, of the power of ideas, passionately felt, to change the world.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
A book-lined study, late at night. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Brief History Of The Future: Origins of the Internet
92% buy the item featured on this page:
A Brief History Of The Future: Origins of the Internet 4.7 out of 5 stars (14)
£5.99
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet
4% buy
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet 4.2 out of 5 stars (11)
£7.98
How the Web Was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web (Popular Science)
3% buy
How the Web Was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web (Popular Science) 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£17.10
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Catch the author's enthusiasm for the magic of the Internet, 10 Oct 2000
By A Customer
John Naughton writes about the Internet with the same enthusiasm Nick Hornby displays when writing about Arsenal FC or rock music. From his early childhood days in rural Ireland to his current role as journalist and academic, Naughton describes his continuing sense of wonder at the development of communications technologies, and their implications for the future of our society. "A Brief History of the Future" conveys the author's passionate interest in the medium, while describing the development of the technology in terms that even the most technophobic reader can understand. If you've ever stopped to wonder how the @ sign got into your email address, or exactly what TCP/IP protocols are, then this book is for you. Packed with fascinating anecdotes about the team who transformed the pioneering ARPANET into the Internet we know today, it is an engrossing read and highly recommended.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for all enthusiasts of the internet., 6 Sep 2001
A totally brilliant book based on the history of the internet and how it developed. I bought it for my studies towards a BSc Degree (first year) on the internet and I have been studying a module written by Mr Naughton. It has helped me understand and make sense of the history of the net without being boring. I enjoyed reading it and have recommended it to all my friends. Easy to read with good explanations. This book is a must for all!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, 5 Jul 2001
By A Customer
This is a very well written, well researched history of the internet. It is not a dry technical account, but an exciting narrative of the key steps which have led to the Internet of today and the world wide web. A must for anyone who is interested in how it all came to be.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Tells the story very well
Going from the origins of computing (those that would later impact on the Web), through to the Microsoft v Netscape battle of the mid-late '90s, Naughton tells the story very... Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2004 by bayman15

5.0 out of 5 stars At last a well written and entertaining history of the Net
A superbly written book, with facts, anecdotes and a writing style that makes the history of how the Internet developed not so much interesting as exciteing. Read more
Published on 2 Jul 2004 by S. Howarth

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating history of the Internet
One of if not the most significant change in lifestyle over the past 50 years has been the development of technology, and how it has affected all our lives. Read more
Published on 29 Feb 2004 by Darren Simons

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read on how it all began
When you have read this book a lot of the pieces fall into place, as to why the world of computers runs the way it does. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2003 by Mr. D. A. Forsyth

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book
Fascinating and interesting account of the origins of the internet. You would probably need a pretty keen interest in the subject before you start reading it, but it always... Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2003 by JONATHAN BECKETT

2.0 out of 5 stars A wasted opportunity
This could have been a wonderful book. The author obviously knows his stuff and who has a passion for the internet. Read more
Published on 28 April 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Context
This is the best history of the net (odd idea, I know) that I have seen. More than others, it places the events in a context that helps one understand why innovation happened... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2000 by Larry Lessig

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent,Entertaining history of the internet
If you want to understand why things are the way they are,words like "cool" and free things exist in computing then this great book will help you understand. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2000 by Norfolk Chance

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading for the techie and the computer novice.
John naughton has always been my favourite columnist and to read this book was a joy. I am a computer programmer and I had to admit I didn't know much about the origins of the... Read more
Published on 6 Oct 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account of the history of the Internet
To Naughton the Internet is "one of the most remarkable things human beings have ever made. It is, he says, potentially more importan than even print and television in... Read more
Published on 29 Sep 1999

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject














i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.