The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide

by John S. Quarterman

This complete, central source lets you tap into the worldwide information
sharing network of engineers, scientists, and researchers - no matter where you live or work. It's a hands-on encyclopedic directory of specific networks and conferencing systems that encompasses millions of users across every continent!



A directory of specific networks and conferencing systems worldwide.
An important and comprehensive reference.

719 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

John S. Quarterman is an American author and longtime participant in the development of the Internet. He wrote one of the foundational books on networking before the Internet became commercialized and has also contributed to discussions on risk management. Growing up in the Bemiss community near Valdosta, Georgia, he first used the ARPANET in 1974 while at Harvard and later worked on UNIX ARPANET software at BBN, the original contractor for the ARPANET. Twice elected to the board of directors of the USENIX Association, he played a key role in its 1987 decision to approve the first funding for UUNET, one of the first commercial Internet service providers alongside PSINet.
In 1986, he co-founded Texas’ first Internet consulting firm and later co-founded Zilker Internet Park, one of Austin’s early ISPs. He was also a founder of TISPA, the Texas ISP Association. As the founder and Chief Technology Officer of Matrix NetSystems, originally established as Matrix Information and Directory Services in 1990, he published the first maps of the entire Internet and conducted the first Internet Demographic Survey. He launched the first continuous performance monitoring series of the entire Internet in 1993, making it available on the web by 1995 through the Internet Weather Report and ISP Ratings. Matrix NetSystems later merged with Alignment Software in 2003, briefly becoming Xaffire before its Austin operations were acquired by Keynote Systems, which was subsequently merged into Dynatrace by Thoma Bravo.
Recognized for his contributions, he was named one of the "25 Unsung Heroes of the Internet" by Inter@ctive Week in 1998. Internet World featured a full-length interview with him in 1996, highlighting his work in Internet demographics. He has participated in discussions on Net Neutrality, serving as a panelist for events organized by IEEE Central Texas Section and EFF-Austin. His major works include The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide, a comprehensive history of global networking, and The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD UNIX Operating System, co-authored with Samuel J. Leffler, Marshall K. McKusick, and Michael J. Karels. His later publications include books on TCP/IP networking and risk management for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. He is also credited with suggesting the acronym RIPE for Réseaux IP Européens at a 1989 meeting in Brussels.

Reviews

[Mochalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really surprised, no other reviews of this book?? Let me tell you about it then. I first heard about it when reading either "The Hacker Crackdown" by Bruce Sterling or "Cyberpunk" by Hafner and Markoff. I'm sorry I just can't remember right now which of those other 2 books mentioned it, but in any case both of those books are also highly recommended! But I digress.. Since I was involved with the very beginnings of the Internet in the early 1990's the description and mention of this book (in one of those other books) immediately caught my attention since I had never heard of it previously. In any case, this book is not really a book that you sit down and read through, it's more of a completely and totally outdated reference book about the state of the Internet in the late 1980's. I was able to find a used copy from a library reseller. If you were involved with or are interested in the early Internet, and/or you're occasionally nostalgic about those days, and/or you just like to look up and read about all the Internet connections some University had in 1989, then this book will interest you. Otherwise, I think this is one of those weird books that was only really useful when it was written, then became totally outdated shortly thereafter, and will only become popular again literally tens or hundreds of years in the future when this type of information is considered "retro" and cool and people write articles about it in the future, if you know what I mean...