Silicon Snake Oil - Hardcover

Stoll, Cliff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0333647874 ISBN 13: 9780333647875

Publisher: Macmillan, 1995

Synopsis

This work aims to expose the myths and disappointing realities of the Internet and information superhighway. The book: argues that electronic data transfer can be slow, less reliable and more expensive than communication by phone, fax and even post; believes that discussion groups, lauded for providing access to information and diverse opinions, are in fact hotbeds of rumour, where conversations often degenerate into the "rude, offensive and tasteless" and where technical questions often elicit inaccurate answers; and warns that business and commercial transactions on the Internet can be highly risky (how wise is it to give your credit card number to a stranger whose only identification is "bizness@nocturnal-aviation.com").

About this title

Review:

"Internet enthusiasts would do well to heed [Stoll's] advice: Proceed with caution and keep an eye on the rear-view mirror."--Business Week

"Just in case everyone is getting too carried away with the apparent wonders of the computer age, Clifford Stoll is here with a warning...There may be roadblocks up ahead." --The New York Times

"Snake Oil is a manifesto. It comes at a propitious time; the on-line world has been hyped beyond recognition...Few people have more impressive credentials to trash the Internet than Stoll." --Washington Post

Book Description:

In his previous book, The Cuckoo's Egg, Clifford Stoll related the story of how, through the Internet, he uncovered a computer spy ring. In Silicon Snake Oil he deals with the myths and realities of the Internet, looking at the darker side of the information superhighway and attempting to reveal its hidden hazards. It illustrates how electronic data transfer can be slow, less reliable, and more expensive than communication by phone, fax, and even the postal service. Stoll also argues that discussion groups, lauded for providing access to information and diverse opinons, are in fact hotbeds of rumour, where conversations about issues frequently degenerate into the rude, offensive and tasteless, and where technical questions often elicit inaccurate answers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Macmillan
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0333647874
• ISBN 13: 9780333647875
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224