The history of the Internet in NZ

Anthony Doesburg reviews “Connecting the Clouds” which is a history of the Internet in NZ, by Keith Newman.

The book was launched last Thursday in Wellington. I was somewhat gutted I was in Auckland and unable to attend, as I actually helped commission the book, proposing some years ago to InternetNZ that we should get such a book written while all the original pioneers were still around.

As Anthony notes, Keith Newman more than delivered, with the 100,000 word project expanding to 400,000 words.

The book will not make the best seller lists, but for those with an interest in the Internet and its development, it should be a fascinating read. Like most books, it is best to have the hardcopy so one can read in comfort, but it has also been made available online at nethistory.net.nz, which will be kept updated into the future. It is in wiki format which will allow others to contribute over time to it.