The personal computer age had been upon us just a few years when a new development changed everything: the Internet. Now people around the world could use their computers to link up with one another as well as with libraries, businesses, and schools - virtually any individual or place that had a computer. The new information revolution had begun, and, along with it, a host of social issues from cyberporn to educational access. This comprehensive, up-to-date volume provides readers with an in-depth discussion of the origin and development of this revolution, from the telegraph to JAVA, and all of the social issues accompanying the new technologies. It provides a detailed introduction; a chronology; biographical sketches of key figures; charts, graphs, documents, and quotations; a directory of organizations; extensive lists of print and nonprint resources, including World Wide Web sites; a glossary; and an index. Readers of all kinds - including students, academics, and general readers, from computer illiterates to "netizens" - will find this handbook an essential resource for research and informational reading.