Monday, September 01, 2008

John Dvorak and Orson Scott Card on the Way to the Web

I'm beginning to get some feedback for On the Way to the Web, and I'm pleased to be able to say that the readers get my intent in writing the book. They recognize that OTWTTW is not another Stealing Time or aol.com. It's not focused on the power and majesty and internal rot at AOL and Time Warner. Nor is it another Where Wizards Stay Up Late, which is limited to the early story of computer networks, and has overmuch focus on the technical elements. That's all good, but it's not reading for those who want the overall story of how we got from lining mainframes to dialing up the world with our home computres. I recommend it, however.As for what On the Way to the Web is, John Dvorak described the book's intent well when he wrote, "As someone who has been involved in the telecom scene since 1978 I have always feared that much of the wild history during the Hayes-modem era would be lost. Michael Banks to the rescue. This fascinating book is a must have for any student of the techology scene."

Writing in the book's Foreword, Orson Scott Card summed it the storyline thus: "This is a thorough, entertaining, informative, useful history of how our world was transformed during my adult life"

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