This extraordinary book explains the engine that has catapulted the Internet from backwater to ubiquity—and reveals that it is sputtering precisely...
read full description
reviews
Nov 03, 2011
Here is an author that has put a ton of data and thought into his argument that the internet is doomed to fail if we all keep buying Xbox's and iPhones. To some degree he is right. There are many more "closed" systems gaining more and more market shares. Though the book was already dated with Zittrain's blasting the iPhone for not being open to third party development. A fact that Jobs deleted with the release of the iPhone SDK in the Summer of 2008.
Zittrain maintains that the interne More...
Zittrain maintains that the interne More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 16, 2009
Elaine
rated it: 
I want to read this again (probably online), to reabsorb some of the lessons and get a sense of whether I have any part to play in the landscape as it moves forward. (ugh, mixed metaphor roundup!) This is the other book that I read after seeing its author at SXSWi '09, and in this case, his presentation was on the same topic of the book. So there was a lot that felt familiar, but with more depth and nuance.
"Generativity" is the central metaphor of the book: what allows for More...
"Generativity" is the central metaphor of the book: what allows for More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 31, 2011
A. T.
rated it:
Do you recall the end of The Dark Knight? Batman locates the Joker through tapping into every cell phone in Gotham city, turning them into one gigantic triangulation machine. The Future of the Internet, though written before the movie, is about exactly that. It deals with the issue of tethered devices - iPads, iPods, e-book readers, webcams, flip-cams and the rest of the growing technological wonders of Web 2.0. It is commonly believed that the Internet is the harbinger of freedom and privatizat
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 23, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
I read this book while researching network neutrality for school. Zittrain has a very clear way of articulating current concerns about the internet. It's also a great brief history of the internet and an interesting look at what the future holds. It's a little sobering to read some of his takes on security issues on the internet (especially the economic vulnerability part), but the information is relatively objective and helpful. Bottom line: there is a fine line between making the internet safe
More...
Jan 22, 2009
Jeffrey
rated it:
A very good book on what should be preserved about the Internet ("generativity") and how things might go wrong if "appliancization" such as that associated with the iPhone and other "tethered" devices goes too far. I was not completely happy with what the author said about net neutrality, and that he was not sufficiently critical of the strategy of building broadband by letting the phone/cable duopoly pay for it by selling us broadband-based entertainment. But the
More...
Aug 18, 2008
I'm still ankle-deep in this book, and have been for some time. The first 1/3 of the book is a great history of how we got to where we are with this wonderful world of the internet. some of the most amazing things instituted when the interwebs (tx, W) got started up were all the protocols, agreements, and structures that never got commercialized, privatized, or bushwhacked by opportunistic boobs. now, in this age of the XBox, iPhone, and Tivo, we are seeing an attempt to railroad the "f
More...
Jul 02, 2008
Michael
rated it:
I read the first 100 pages of this book as an ebook (free download: http://futureoftheinternet.org/download), then was gifted a dead-tree copy. I learned that I will prefer dead trees to ebooks unless a tablet PC or other device changes my mind as I suspect it will.
For me, Zittrain is, for the most part, preaching to the choir. With electrical engineering and computer science education and years of reading slashdot/digg/reddit, for the most part I know my geek history and the score More...
For me, Zittrain is, for the most part, preaching to the choir. With electrical engineering and computer science education and years of reading slashdot/digg/reddit, for the most part I know my geek history and the score More...
Jan 21, 2009
Davis
rated it:
Very interesting and very scary ideas/theories in this book. The first part discusses the state of the Internet today, painting a landscape filled with virus and malware infected PCs working in unison as botnets to carry out denial-of-service attacks or acting as virtual email servers flooding the net with millions of spam. All the while, the anti-virus software companies secretly throw their hands up in frustration and hopelessness.
As the book progresses, it tries to predict the co More...
As the book progresses, it tries to predict the co More...
Jul 10, 2008
Ben
rated it:
This was a very fascinating book. Some of the technical language may be new to a reader who is not already knowledgeable on computers and networking. Beyond the vocabulary, however, the book is accessible to newcomers to the field. Zittrain writes with an open invitation to discuss, talking with the reader rather than lecturing the reader. He admits that he does not have all the answers to the rather large problems the Internet faces. On the other hand, unlike many alarmists, he at least tri
More...
Jun 05, 2008
Vinay
rated it: 
The key idea in The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It is what Jonathan Zittrain calls "generativity." Essentially, Zittrain posits that the feature that makes the internet successful is that it easily allows anyone to build new products, features, and communities on top of an open infrastructure.
The problem with "generativity" is that it also allows (and encourages) the creation of negative products and features: malware, spam, identity theft, piracy, etc More...
The problem with "generativity" is that it also allows (and encourages) the creation of negative products and features: malware, spam, identity theft, piracy, etc More...
Sep 24, 2011
Justine
rated it:
Jonathan Zittrain substantiates this 2008 book with well researched and meticulously compiled data. Every other sentence is footnoted (gasp ... and I'm not kidding).
I also very much appreciate his validating 'Procrastination' as a technology development strategy.
Certainly an authoritative and useful analysis where the history of the Internet is concerned and where it's headed, and vis a vis an evolving legal framework. Highly recommended to those with such an interest.
I also very much appreciate his validating 'Procrastination' as a technology development strategy.
Certainly an authoritative and useful analysis where the history of the Internet is concerned and where it's headed, and vis a vis an evolving legal framework. Highly recommended to those with such an interest.
Feb 24, 2010
Cara
rated it:
This book offers an intriguing perspective on the internet and digital culture. Zittrain compares generative appliances (like PCs that accept code from any source) to tethered applicances (like iPods that are completely locked down by the company and cannot be reprogrammed without illegally hacking into them)and what an impact these two technological systems can have on our culture. It definitely made me think about the serious implications that seemingly simple digital choices can have on lif
More...
Feb 17, 2010
David
rated it: 
Zittrain's take on the generative computing revolution is simply astounding. As a protege of Yochai Benkler and Lessig, Zittrain is able to look at the internet as a phenomenon of people coming together as well as an institution, and how the institutionalization of the Internet could kill the fun that's propelled innovation on the internet and computing.
Feb 18, 2010
Neil
rated it:
Glad this wasn't a 300-page dissertation on why Facebook culture will ruin the internet.
A good view of how net neutrality, non-generative equipment, and widespread lack of privacy will affect our future as networked consumers and citizens, with good background on how we all got to this point.
A good view of how net neutrality, non-generative equipment, and widespread lack of privacy will affect our future as networked consumers and citizens, with good background on how we all got to this point.
Aug 02, 2011
Internet is a reflection of our very own human nature. Internet bears on it our greatest virtues: cooperation, altruism, generosity... but at the same time our lowest instincts.
Professor Zittrain makes (in this book) a powerful case to protect the goodest part.
Professor Zittrain makes (in this book) a powerful case to protect the goodest part.
Feb 15, 2009
Surfing Moose
rated it:
The book didn't grab me and found it a slog to get through. Even though I looked forward to reading it, I was disappointed. The funny thing is Zittrain had a lot of good ideas but somehow it didn't do it for me. I'll give it a reread in the near future.
Dec 26, 2011
Cheri
rated it:
Provocative, lucid and fascinating. An interesting look into the past and future of the internet. A good place to start for anyone interested in the future of privacy law, cyber crime or where computer technology is headed.
Jun 06, 2011
Jen
rated it:
I have my guesses of what the future of the internet is considering I went to a panel discussion with Jonathan Zittrain and Jimmy Wales. The panel is what inspired me to read this book and I'd been looking forward to it for a few years now. It was disappointing to see how dry and dense the book can be. There was a lot there that I'd already known (being a CS major and web dev) so it felt like I wasn't really learning anything. When I realized I wasn't even halfway done with it after a week o
More...
Jan 30, 2009
Jason
rated it:
Full of fascinating information about the recent history of, well, information. I had a difficult time accepting the thesis, however, that the Internet is poised for a command-and-control lockdown.
May 17, 2010
Richard
rated it:
His concepts of generativity are not based on technology as much as on how much the Internet can generate in income and innovation. I was expecting a more technology-oriented text, but it was still useful.
Jan 20, 2009
Nick
rated it:
It was ok, but I guess I'd heard the main theme online, and didn't get much extra out of the book. Of course, Google is making me stupid, so I had a hard time fully concentrating on this book.
Dec 07, 2009
April the Librarian
rated it:
amazing - discusses how controls that consumers and companies ask for actually change the very core of the internet, by restricting freedom of creation and dissemination
Dec 21, 2008
David
rated it:
Really compelling insights and observations about how the internet is likely to change in the next 10 years. Alternatively frightening and encouraging.
Jan 08, 2009
This wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I only read a couple of chapters and was disappointed when it mostly talked about the back-end structure of the network that runs the Internet. I'm sure it's a great read, but it wasn't holding my interest.
Feb 01, 2010
G
rated it:
Was hoping it would be a little more revelatory, but there's still lots of good stuff in here.
Aug 09, 2009
Yannis
rated it:
Most interesting learning: http://www.spiegel.de/international/spie...
Jul 24, 2010
Atul
rated it:
I've posted a full review of this book on my blog at http://www.toolness.com/wp/?p=53.
Jul 01, 2009
Cary
rated it:
He promotes ideas of open technology standards and generative systems which I like.
Jan 15, 2009
Fairly interesting premise - that the generative nature of the internet that is more or less responsible for its rise in popularity will eventually transform it into a non-generative system as people shy away from the security risks of generativity...if that makes any sense...unless it is stopped! (Which is what he is talking about in the title...I got confused and thought the "and how to stop it" referred to the internet itself, rather than the future). Zittrain, however, is really re
More...
Oct 12, 2011
Lawrence
rated it:
A good book, though I wasnt really sure what to do with all the information I encountered. Besides taking steps to protect myself/ my own internet experience, not really able to use anything else in the book.
