How the Internet Really Works

by Article 19, Mallory Knodel (Contributor), Ulrike Uhlig (Contributor)

An accessible, comic book-like, illustrated introduction to how the internet works under the hood, designed to give people a basic understanding of the technical aspects of the Internet that they need in order to advocate for digital rights.

How the Internet Really Works is a comic book-like introduction to the technical side of the internet, narrated by a cute cat character. The book contains playful illustrations and concise explanations detailing transport protocols and basic internet infrastructure as well as larger technological concepts like security and privacy, algorithms, and Internet infrastructure governance. You will gain enough technical understanding to become knowledgeable about digital privacy concerns that affect every internet user.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Internet, Science, Computer Science

120 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Maede · Rating 4 out of 5]

هنوز این صحنه تو ذهنمه که با یک سیم شبکه‌ی قرمز طولانی روی خروارها سیم شبکه‌ی دیگه تو کلاس ایستادم و استاد داره مثل هیتلر فرمان میده و ما مثل زامبی‌های سرگشته سیم‌ها رو به روترها وصل می‌کنیم. کل تجربه‌ی اون کلاس برام فشار اضطراب نشستن سر کلاس یک سایکوپت و تموم کردن آخرین ترم دانشگاه بود و در نتیجه هیچی از موضوعی که بهش علاقه داشتم یاد نگرفتم. ای کاش اون زمان به جای همه‌ی اون ترم این کتاب رو می‌خوندم تا از یک سری مبانی اینترنت حداقل سر در بیارم

کتاب با زبان بسیار ساده و با تصاویر گربه‌‌ای نحوه‌ی کارکرد اینترنت رو توضیح میده و بسیار قابل فهمه. حتی برای کسی که هیچ پیش‌زمینه‌ای هم نداره و صرفاً کنجکاوه هم می‌تونه قابل درک باشه.

:سرتیتر فصل‌های کتاب از این قراره
یک. اینترنت چطور شبکه‌بندی شده
دو. داده در اینترنت چه شکلی به خودش می‌گیره
سه. دستگاه‌ها چطور با استفاده از اینترنت با هم ارتباط برقرار می‌کنند
چهار. داده چطور در اینترنت جابجا میشه
پنج. چطور افراد داده رو دریافت می‌کنند
شش. چی می‌تونه در جابجایی داده در اینترنت تداخل ایجاد کنه
هفت. چطور داده می‌تونه به طور ناشناس در اینترنت جابجا بشه
هشت. ماشین‌ها چه مقدار کنترل دارند
نه. چطور اینترنت از تکنولوژی‌های قبلی استفاده می‌کنه
ده‌. چه کسی اینترنت رو کنترل می‌کنه
یازده. قدرت چطور در اینترنت غیر مرکزی تقسیم میشه
دوازده. چطور جامعه می‌تونه در اداره‌ی اینترنت شرکت کنه

قسمت روش کار تور و تورنت که زندگی کتابی من مدیونشه خیلی برام جالب بود و حالا یکم تصویر واضح‌تری از این غول بی شاخ و دمِ «اینترنت» دارم

کتاب رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۳/۳/۲۲

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool and interactive overview guide of the internet. What interested me most was the sections about internet privacy, security, domain name systems and IP addresses.

I also really appreciate the author’s efforts to ensure the reader knows that we do have the power to influence and actively engage in global policy and internet governance even as civil citizens. The author takes an entire chapter to explain the organizations that currently engage in applying global policy for internet governance, and then takes a whole other chapter to provide resources on how we can get involved if desired on this policy making, which is often not representative of the entire population affected by the internet and not diverse.

Enjoyed the pictures as well which make complex ideas very easy to grasp. Seriously now considering joining one of these volunteer groups to affect internet governance at a local level!

[Maire · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a fleeting interest in how the internet works, pick this up. It does a really good job of explaining all of those acronym entities out there and their role in the internet. It also clearly explains how data moves through the tubes. If you've had a couple of internet classes, you'll find yourself saying, "Oh!" and "yeah?" while reading this one. If you've never had an internet class, you may feel a bit bogged down, but take it slow and it'll all make sense in the end.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of useful information for beginners, an overview of internet infrastructure, presented as simply and concisely as possible.

[KhunTeera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made for the kids but not for the kids. 🤪
This book is brilliant! 👏 How the Internet work is definitely complex and can be very hard to describe but that explains why the illustrations are here for. The content covers much more of the knowledge than what anyone would expect in a thin illustrated book. I love reading every page of it. Mind you, even for someone like me who works in IT pro career, some of the topics are still very difficult to digest. 🤯😂

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the illustrations, and although I knew most of the topics, I learned some new concepts. However, it is portrayed as an "easy-to-understand" or maybe even as a children's book, the explanations there are not easily comprehendible. If I didn't know some topics beforehand, I doubt that I would fully digest the content.

[Beyto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and understand about the internet

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed information about the internet and how it works. I think this would be a good reference book, but not one for reading for leisure. Because of this, I just browsed through it.

[Ben Rothke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn’t that long ago that a car manual was 100 pages or shorter. Today, they can be close to 700 pages long. As cars get more complicated, so do the manuals. And so does the driver’s confusion when he or she must figure out how to get a new computer on wheels to operate. 

When it comes to the Internet, its manuals are known as RFCs (Request for Comments). In the early days, one could be familiar with the entire family of RFCs. As of this review, there are more than 9,000 RFCs, which means the complexity is such that a single person simply cannot know everything about how the Internet operates. 

But in a nutshell, how does the Internet work? In How the Internet Really Works: An Illustrated Guide to Protocols, Privacy, Censorship, and Governance (No Starch Press), the reader gets a short, interesting, and entertaining overview of the Internet without having to read all the RFCs. 

The listed author of the book is ARTICLE 19, an international non-profit organization that aims to promote, develop, and protect freedom of expression, including access to information. As such, much of the book has a focus on security and privacy. While ARTICLE 19 is the official author, one of the contributors is Mallory Knodel, chief technology officer for the Center for Democracy and Technology, who brings her extensive security and privacy expertise to the written word. 

With electronic censorship so rampant across the world, the book provides readers with an understanding of how security and privacy work on the Internet, from the transport layer of how data moves to the protocols that perform those functions and more. By having this understanding, a person can better ensure their security and privacy is safeguarded, rather than just taking someone’s word for it. 

For those looking to understand how the Internet works, but in a jargon-free style that will educate them and not confuse them further, How the Internet Really Works is the book for them.

[Giorgos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great little book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It offers clear and engaging explanations, paired with helpful illustrations, that break down how the internet works. From the basics of data transfer using packets, to complex topics like online security, anonymity, and governance, the book covers it all. I especially appreciated how it doesn’t just explain these concepts, but also informs readers on how they can actively participate in shaping the future of the internet. The illustrations were a standout, making even the most complex ideas accessible and easy to grasp!

[HP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesante y algo complejo. Amerita otra lectura más detenida en algunos puntos.

Información muy útil aunque creo que pudieron haber profundizado más en ciertos temas, que investigaré por mi cuenta para no quedarme con las ganas

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute book. Even as a designer and developer, it helped me understand the lower-level intricacies of the internet.

[未知生焉知死 Anvil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reasonably well written book for broad audience, which provides a conceptual overview of How Internet really works.

[Cigdem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book that explains the current Internet, and its stakeholders. I most liked its new architecture which included social and content layers.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

good layperson surface overview of how the internet is structured, accessed, and regulated.

[Ahmed Jawad · Rating 3 out of 5]

مدخل لطيف لغير المختصين لعالم الشبكات، وكيف يعمل الانترنت في البنى التحتية، وبروتوكولاته التي تحكم انتقال المعلومات <\b>

[Matthew Clemons · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cool book, it does a great job of simplifying explanations of a complex system like the internet. It presents the info it in a fun way.

[sauris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[BubbyY · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick-to-read refresher on how the internet works--with the social implications. Kudos to the authors for making a ton of complex concepts pretty consumable.

[Andrey Martyanov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very shallow, but sort of okeyish for people not involved into the field.

[Hui Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful for anyone who works in the tech industry. easy to understand which is difficult to achieve, 10 out of 10. wish more education content about technical ideas can be explained like this.

[Bam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is pretty good and easy to read. It was nice to have a generalization of information about Internet and its inner workings in one place and, maybe, refresh some things about organizations. However, I doubt the authors reached their writing goal. Unless you're already somewhat tech savvy or really into tech, it will be hard to read and you're likely to drop it.

Highly appreciated is that it was written by female authors, felt really nice, and so I want more books like this, written by women.

My guess, reading this book might be really useful to someone who's concerned with human rights and creating policies that are inclusive and are "for the greater good of the world" (in contrast to some private interests of giant companies), it will give an understanding of the first steps that you need to take. Otherwise, I dunno, maybe search for something else.

[Venkatesh-Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book out there providing an informative and accessible overview of the Internet and its aspects such as structure, operation, technologies, security, and governance. At 122 pages, it as short read yet dense depending on how much the reader already knows and/or wants to know about the Internet. With the numerous cartoon-based illustrations, this would be a great gift for kids (middle-school and above) interested in learning about the Internet. They will most certainly have questions; hence, a good discussion starter for the holidays :) With its breadth, this should be a must read for CS students before they take the computer networks course; this would help demystify the contents of Tannenbaum's "Computer Networks" :)

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How the Internet Really Works" is a strong introductory work for anyone interested in the technical nature and social ramifications of the internet. The book provides a high level but detailedoverview of the technology behind the internet. Additionally, the book has a strong focus on how the internet is used and how it affects communities. As such, this book will provide a strong grounding for those interested in the social side of the internet. It is also a good foundation for anyone who needs a jumping of point to develop basic technical knowledge of the internet.

[Dana Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good introduction to the Internet and the social concerns that involve it.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.