Wandering the timeline of the Internet’s life, Zittrain projects its future generations using sociological, genealogical, and technological arguments. The way the book is structured and enriched makes it an ideal reference book for those in the communications field, such as managers, academics, researchers, and system designers.

The book is made up of nine main chapters, broken into three parts, all of which are supported by a long list of references. Moreover, a short introduction outlines the issues discussed in the text. The book is further complemented by a concluding part, acknowledging the people that helped Zittrain, as well as an index.

The first part, “The Rise and Stall of the Generative Net,” looks into the history of the Internet’s evolution as compared to monolithic networks and appliances. Chapter 1, “Battle of the Boxes,” presents the everlasting fight between generative platforms and single/limited purpose appliances, and variants on their business exploitation. This includes paradigms such as the Hollerith era and its evolution toward IBM-like approaches, single-purpose appliances, and the killer of all-known as the personal computer (PC).

Chapter 2, “Battle of the Networks,” is an extensive reference on the creation of networked devices, another means of communicating, including their many alternative approaches. A clear line of progress moved the center of gravity from the early proprietary networks, in control of all aspects of communication, to the first communication among PCs, between UCLA and Stanford, to facilitators such as Winsock that enabled Internet-enabled applications such as the World Wide Web (WWW). With innovation comes a new environment that requires a new ethos, with design considerations related to the scalability aspects of newcomers, for example.

Chapter 3, “Cybersecurity and the Generative Dilemma,” presents all the issues that could hamper generative environments (for example, the Internet), in relation to the security of the average user. Having started as an exploration of uncharted waters, security bridging attacks developed in a way that could impact monolithic appliances if bulletproof solutions were required, leaving generative PCs and Internet tools for experts’ eyes only.

The second part, “After the Stall,” magnifies and analyzes all aspects of the current Internet and its generative nature. Chapter 4, “The Generative Platform,” discusses the generative concept, taking on the current “hourglass architecture” of the Internet. Guidelines for generative systems, and comparisons of such systems to nongenerative ones, are the core of this chapter. Close relatives are brought to the discussion, as well as a roadmap of the evolution of a generative idea to a well-accepted product.

Chapter 5, “Tethered Appliances, Software as Service, and Perfect Enforcement,” discusses a possible direction toward a controlled environment, as a result of “bad” code. In this direction, one can find appliances that support limited diversity from a certain service, regulations and efforts for law enforcement, or even Web 2.0 services that can change their offerings. This chapter offers many paradigms that provide a large and diversified list of possible real-life scenarios and ways around them. Maintaining generativity and resolving its unwelcomed by-products is like walking on thin ice.

Chapter 6, “The Lessons of Wikipedia,” discusses the paradigm of Wikipedia, its evolution and dominance among alternatives, and, most importantly, the self-regulation paradigm that it implies. This example provides a valuable lesson on how a generative technology can get successful, and remain favorable even when large numbers (possibly uncontrolled and unpredictable) kick in.

The third and final part, “Solutions,” looks into ways out of the fall of the generative Internet. Chapter 7, “Stopping the Future of the Internet: Stability on a Generative Net,” argues for delicate maneuvering, necessary for the preservation of the generative Net in a fully developed and operational environment. Virtualization could be one answer, creating variation in access and capabilities, while tools can enable users to participate in the shaping of evolutionary spaces instead of allowing them to simply choose among a limited set of options. Moreover, field players such as software creators, operators, and Internet service providers (ISPs), among others, could be further involved, alongside legal and regulatory enhancements.

Chapter 8, “Strategies for a Generative Future,” builds on the previous chapter that discusses Internet preservation, depicting ways to change yet still maintain generativity in future generations of communication. Designers and developers of those coming generations need to have space for tethered appliances, software (always desirable to the general public), and nongenerative platforms, and at the same time enhance their performance against threats, including current and future drawbacks. Some design principles include data portability, network and application programming interface (API) neutrality, code and content thickets, liability regulation, and law aspects.

Chapter 9, “Meeting the Risks of Generativity: Privacy 2.0,” examines privacy issues at length, as they evolve alongside generative nets. Early privacy concerns are associated with government and corporate databases, while current concerns come along with the generative Internet. A thorough depiction of those second-generation privacy concerns is provided, including ways around those issues, accompanied by relevant social implications and evolution at the social plane.

The conclusion takes on the fresh ideas that shape the Internet, the generations that form the future Internet, and guidelines for a “healthy” progression of services and networks.

This book clearly stands out in its presentation of the battlefield of the many Internet technologies, with its explanation of their successes and failures. It will be a welcome resource for many, including students and instructors of relevant courses, professionals, and researchers looking for a well-rounded reference book. I read this book it on a holiday spree; having a dry Martini at my side made it a joy to read.