Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-193) and index.

Early origins of the internet -- Invention of the World Wide Web -- How the Internet works -- Opening the Internet for commerce -- The "Dot.Com Boom" goes bust -- The societal impact of the Internet -- The future of the Internet -- Marc Andreessen -- Tim Berners-Lee -- Sergey Brin and Larry Page -- Steve Case -- Vinton Cerf -- David Filo and Jerry Yang -- Robert Taylor -- Vinton Cerf recalls the early development of the Internet -- Steve Crocker launches the "Request for Comments" series -- A computer scientist describes the Internet worm of 1988 -- The first World Wide Web page with hypertext links -- Tim Berners-Lee remembers inventing the World Wide Web -- A librarian shares the joy of "Surfing" the Internet -- John Perry Barlow's "Declaration of Independence for Cyberspace" -- Bill Gates discusses the Internet's potential impact on education -- A newspaper columnist laments the dangers of the Internet.

"Examines the creation and development of the Internet, as well as its present and future impact on American life and society. Features include narrative overview, biographical profiles, primary source documents, detailed chronology, and annotated sources for further study."--Provided by publisher.