Resumo de A Brief History Of The Future

Before the Internet truly became a worldwide household
phenomenon as it is today, there was plenty of literature
devoted to its origins, early days and growing
advancements. But John Naughton?s book has enough
differentiators that make it a special flower in an
overflowing basket.

Wonder, he points out, is
sorely missing among us ? the plain, simple quality to
marvel at technology rather than be its pompous users. In
fact, he raises a moot question in the process ? are we not
taking progress for granted in casually floating towards
the next Big Thing at any point of time? Yes, we seem to be
doing just that, all the time ? be it electricity, the
telephone, the DVD player, the latest cell phone or the
tablet PC.

Naughton is brilliant in the case he
makes for engineers ? a largely unsung and invisible tribe ?
which achieves the unthinkable and yet is invariably
accorded a lowly status compared to actors, musicians,
artists, athletes, doctors and scientists. He openly admits
his personal grudge, since he is an engineer himself, but
rightly observes this plight is embedded in the very role
they perform. While they focus on the technical means, the
ends are invariably decided by a superior, a client, a
government agency or a company.

Naughton pays
homage to the engineers of the Internet on two counts ?
one, because they built an amazing world open to all and
two ? because they invented institutions and traditions in
the process that made the world a better place.

He
begins the voyage under the section A Brief History of the
Future before devoting a chapter to the Radio days. Since
the story of the Internet is closely entwined with
computers, Naughton briefly traces the origins in Blaise
Pascal?s adding machine, Scchickard?s mechanical calculator
and Babbage?s Analytical Engine before finally zeroing in
on the campus on the East Coast of the United States ? the
legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Naughton
elucidates the anatomy of a computer, devices like the
modem, or demystifies core concepts like packet switching,
messaging protocols and email in an extremely reader-
friendly fashion ? a rare feat for books devoted to
technology.

As the book proceeds, Naughton pays
tribute to visionaries like Joseph Licklider, Robert
Taylor, Douglas Engelbrat, Norbert Weiner, Vannevar Bush
and Ted Nelson and engineers like Paul Baran, Donald
Davies, Larry Roberts, Bob Kahn, Vint Cerf and Tim Berners-
Lee.

While Naughton throws light on the origins of
the Net, its creators, mechanics and protocols, it also
spares a thought or two on its social significance and
impact. Here is a book written with passion, not just for
the sake of history. It is only fair that it is read in the
same spirit.

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