In one of those serendipitous quirks of fate, Marc Andreesen, hot off the success of his Mosaic Web browser, left Champaign-Urbana in early 1994 for Mountain View, California, in Silicon Valley, just as Jim Clark, founder of and recently departed from Silicon Graphics, Inc., was on the lookout for something new. By the fall, Netscape, the new company formed by Clark and Andreesen, released its browser, and the World Wide Web really took off. In August 1995, Netscape went public, making Clark and Andreesen multimillionaires. As an associate of 21st Century Internet, a Bay-area venture fund involved with the Internet, Web insider (and booster) Reid knows his subject well. In eight chapters, Reid shows the academic roots of the Web and the commercial excitement generated by the new technology, profiling such innovators as Andreesen at Netscape, Kim Polese of Marimba, and Jerry Yang of Yahoo. Well versed in hip geek talk, Reid successfully conjures a you-are-there feel to his coverage of this revolution-in-the-making. Benjamin Segedin
From Kirkus Reviews
An authoritative overview of the last three years on the Internet that is is plagued, however, by serious questions of audience, an elitist voice, and an almost paranoid preoccupation with Microsoft's Bill Gates. Beginning with the creator of the first graphical Web browser, Marc Andreesen, Reid--himself a Net world wheeler and dealer--takes a ``big name'' approach in his technological history, using the eight people behind such milestone Web products as RealAudio (Rob Glaser), Java (Kim Polese), and Yahoo! (Jerry Yang) as centerpieces around which he builds his study. Subjects run the gamut from pure technological advances to the history of Web marketing and ``merging mediums,'' such as the Web and TV. For a CEO looking to launch a Web site, the book's business-savvy language will work, and it may prove an informative read. Similarly, the highly technical style will make a reader already fluent in the online lingo comfortable. However, to a lay reader, this book is likely to sound dangerously technocratic, as Reid is not very thorough in explaining the dozens of highly technical terms he uses. Indeed, Mark Pesce, creator of Virtual Reality Markup Language, states the dangers of too much technology in too few hands, saying: ``I am both excited and mortified by this technology.'' Furthermore, Reid's perspective is very Bay Areaspecific, ignoring developments taking place outside of California. If, for example, Wired is the leading Web publisher, as Reid claims, then what of New York exploits such as Word and Charged? And while Gates-bashing has always been the intramural sport of the industry, Reid takes it to a new low by dubbing Microsoft's CEO ``Chairman Gates'' in an obvious reference to Mao's authoritarianism. Of course, Reid's subtitle is reminiscent of Arthur Schlesinger's hagiography of John Kennedy. Perhaps the Web is Reid's Camelot and Gates his Castro. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"A terrific book that captures the explosion of creativity and business evolution at the center of the Internet phenomenon."--James F. Moore, Chairman, Geo Partners Research Inc.
From the Publisher
This book provides a description of how the Web influences, and will continue to influence business and enables the reader to envision the new businesses that will be created. It presumes no level of technical expertise, but focuses on explaining the impact of the technology on the business world. The story of the web is told through in depth profiles of the key personalities responsible for creating and building the Web.
From the Inside Flap
It is arguably the most significant business tool of our time. As powerful as the television, the telephone. and the personal computer?and destined to subsume them all?the Internet has exploded from twenty-five years of lab room obscurity to become the hottest business story ever. The catalyst of this explosion, of course, is the rise of the World Wide Web, the Internet?s multimedia domain. The Web itself was just an academic curiosity until a University of Illinois undergraduate and a young researcher wrote a piece of software called "Mosaic" that made the Web accessible and alluring to the masses. In the thousand days that followed Mosaic?s release on the PC and Macintosh. the Web attracted more than 40 million users. This spectacular growth sparked one of the most dramatic periods of capital formation in history?so far bringing a million dollars or more in invested capital to over 500 new companies. One of these companies, Netscape, quickly became the fastest growing software company in history. And its flagship product, the Netscape Navigator, became the most popular PC application in the world less than two years after its release. Architects of the Web presents the history of the Web?s creation and evolution?as well as its emergence as a dynamic business tool?through revealing profiles of its architects, the brilliant minds who have helped thrust the Web onto desktops and corporate agendas around the world. On the cutting edge of the online revolution, these visionaries have all made vital contributions to the advancement and enhancement of the Web that will define the way we conduct business in the future. A diverse, ambitious group, the architects of the Web include:- Marc Andreessen, Netscape: Coauthor of Mosaic and cofounder of Netscape, Marc touched off the Web revolution and soon became one of the most celebrated and talked-about entrepreneurs of our time.
- Kim Polese, Marimba: Sun Microsystems? Java language is revolutionizing the economics and competitive dynamics of the technology industry. It is also one of that industry?s great marketing successes. Kim was Java?s "marketing department" during its early history, and in 1996 cofounded Marimaba to help further the language?s development.
- Jerry Yang, Yahoo!: Jerry was a Stanford graduate student when he cocreated Yahoo!. The Internet?s leading directory service. Yahoo! has the potential to blossom into the world?s most powerful media property.
- Andrew Anker, HotWired: HotWired, the online cousin of Wired magazine, pioneered many of the business and content practices that are now standard to Internet publishing. Andrew, a Wall Street, not Silicon Valley veteran, has been running HotWired since its agenda-setting debut in the Web?s earliest days.The entrepreneurs and companies profiled herein have already begun to play a pivotal role in defining our future business landscape. As the digital revolution continues, white-collar professionals everywhere will feel the effects on their business and personal choices. They are an eclectic group?diverse enough that their stories will give readers a broad and thorough understanding of the Web?s history, its capabilities, and its business relevance. They are presented in a way that makes the concepts and forces that they discuss accessible and understandable. All are interesting, funny, thought-provoking, and above all, highly significant, as the changes the Web?s architects are effecting will have a profound impact on all of us.
From the Back Cover
"A terrific book that captures the explosion of creativity and business evolution at the center of the Internet phenomenon. A tantalizing mix of diverse players with utopian visions, animated by equal parts aggression and delight. A true saga of our time." —James F. Moore, author of The Death of Competition Chairman, Geo Partners Research, Inc. Architects of the Web presents the dynamic history of the Web's creation and evolution —as well as its emergence as a dynamic business tool —through revealing profiles of its architects, the brilliant minds who have helped thrust the Web onto desktops and corporate agendas around the world. A diverse, ambitious group, the architects of the Web are: Marc Andreessen, Netscape
- Ariel Poler, I/PRO
- Rob Glaser, Progressive Networks
- Andrew Anker, HotWired
- Kim Polese, Marimba
- Halsey Minor, CNET
- Mark Pesce, VRML
- Jerry Yang, Yahoo!
It is arguably the most significant business tool of our time. As powerful as the television, the telephone, and the personal computer —and destined to subsume them all — the Internet has exploded from twenty-five years of lab room obscurity to become the hottest business story ever. The catalyst of this explosion, of course, is the rise of the World Wide Web, the Internet's multimedia domain.
The Web itself was just an academic curiosity until a University of Illinois undergraduate and a young researcher wrote a piece of software called "Mosaic" that made the Web accessible and alluring to the masses. In the thousand days that followed Mosaic's release on the PC and Macintosh, the Web attracted more than 40 million users.
This spectacular growth sparked one of the most dramatic periods of capital formation in history —so far bringing a million dollars or more in invested capital to over 500 new companies. One of these companies, Netscape, quickly became the fastest growing software company in history. And its flagship product, the Netscape Navigator, became the most popular PC application in the world less than two years after its release.
Architects of the Web presents the history of the Web's creation and evolution —as well as its emergence as a dynamic business tool —through revealing profiles of its architects, the brilliant minds who have helped thrust the Web onto desktops and corporate agendas around the world. On the cutting edge of the online revolution, these visionaries have all made vital contributions to the advancement and enhancement of the Web that will define the way we conduct business in the future. A diverse, ambitious group, the architects of the Web include:
- Marc Andreessen, Netscape: Coauthor of Mosaic and cofounder of Netscape, Marc touched off the Web revolution and soon became one of the most celebrated and talked-about entrepreneurs of our time.
- Kim Polese, Marimba: Sun Microsystems' Java language is revolutionizing the economics and competitive dynamics of the technology industry. It is also one of that industry's great marketing successes. Kim was Java's "marketing department" during its early history, and in 1996 cofounded Marimba to help further the language's development.
- Jerry Yang, Yahoo!: Jerry was a Stanford graduate student when he cocreated Yahoo!. The Internet's leading directory service, Yahoo! has the potential to blossom into the world's most powerful media property.
- Andrew Anker, HotWired: HotWired, the online cousin of Wired magazine, pioneered many of the business and content practices that are now standard to Internet publishing. Andrew, a Wall Street, not Silicon Valley veteran, has been running HotWired since its agenda-setting debut in the Web's earliest days.
The entrepreneurs and companies profiled herein have already begun to play a pivotal role in defining our future business landscape. As the digital revolution continues, white-collar professionals everywhere will feel the effects on their business and personal choices. They are an eclectic group—diverse enough that their stories will give readers a broad and thorough understanding of the Web's history, its capabilities, and its business relevance. They are presented in a way that makes the concepts and forces that they discuss accessible and understandable. All are interesting, funny, thought-provoking, and above all, highly significant, as the changes the Web's architects are effecting will have a profound impact on all of us.
About the Author
Before writing this book, ROBERT REID worked at Silicon Graphics (SGI), a $2 billion maker of supercomputers, workstations, and servers. There, he managed his company's relationship with Netscape (which was cofounded by SGI's own founder, Jim Clark). He now works at Twenty-First Century Internet, a venture capital fund headquartered in San Francisco. Mr. Reid is a graduate of Stanford University, holds an MBA from Harvard University, and lives in Mountain View, California. 17 02 It is arguably the most significant business tool of our time. As powerful as the television, the telephone. and the personal computer?and destined to subsume them all?the Internet has exploded from twenty-five years of lab room obscurity to become the hottest business story ever. The catalyst of this explosion, of course, is the rise of the World Wide Web, the Internet?s multimedia domain. The Web itself was just an academic curiosity until a University of Illinois undergraduate and a young researcher wrote a piece of software called "Mosaic" that made the Web accessible and alluring to the masses. In the thousand days that followed Mosaic?s release on the PC and Macintosh. the Web attracted more than 40 million users. This spectacular growth sparked one of the most dramatic periods of capital formation in history?so far bringing a million dollars or more in invested capital to over 500 new companies. One of these companies, Netscape, quickly became the fastest growing software company in history. And its flagship product, the Netscape Navigator, became the most popular PC application in the world less than two years after its release. Architects of the Web presents the history of the Web?s creation and evolution?as well as its emergence as a dynamic business tool?through revealing profiles of its architects, the brilliant minds who have helped thrust the Web onto desktops and corporate agendas around the world. On the cutting edge of the online revolution, these visionaries have all made vital contributions to the advancement and enhancement of the Web that will define the way we conduct business in the future. A diverse, ambitious group, the architects of the Web include:- Marc Andreessen, Netscape: Coauthor of Mosaic and cofounder of Netscape, Marc touched off the Web revolution and soon became one of the most celebrated and talked-about entrepreneurs of our time.
- Kim Polese, Marimba: Sun Microsystems? Java language is revolutionizing the economics and competitive dynamics of the technology industry. It is also one of that industry?s great marketing successes. Kim was Java?s "marketing department" during its early history, and in 1996 cofounded Marimaba to help further the language?s development.
- Jerry Yang, Yahoo!: Jerry was a Stanford graduate student when he cocreated Yahoo!. The Internet?s leading directory service. Yahoo! has the potential to blossom into the world?s most powerful media property.
- Andrew Anker, HotWired: HotWired, the online cousin of Wired magazine, pioneered many of the business and content practices that are now standard to Internet publishing. Andrew, a Wall Street, not Silicon Valley veteran, has been running HotWired since its agenda-setting debut in the Web?s earliest days.The entrepreneurs and companies profiled herein have already begun to play a pivotal role in defining our future business landscape. As the digital revolution continues, white-collar professionals everywhere will feel the effects on their business and personal choices. They are an eclectic group?diverse enough that their stories will give readers a broad and thorough understanding of the Web?s history, its capabilities, and its business relevance. They are presented in a way that makes the concepts and forces that they discuss accessible and understandable. All are interesting, funny, thought-provoking, and above all, highly significant, as the changes the Web?s architects are effecting will have a profound impact on all of us.
