Abate sees the key to the internet's rapid and seemingly chaotic growth as the result of a decentralized, user-driven environment. She traces the development of networked resources from Cold War think tanks and the ARPANET to the present successful free-form applications.

White heat and cold war : the origins and meanings of packet -- Building the ARPANET : challenges and strategies -- "The most neglected element" : users transform the ARPANET -- From ARPANET to Internet -- The Internet in the international standards arena -- Popularizing the Internet.