Chapter 9. Radio Free Sebastopol

My first brush with 802.11b networking in the summer of 2000 demonstrated something very clear to me, even then: it was obvious that wireless connectivity was going to be a tremendously important technology. In the next few years, hundreds of local community wireless groups and commercial ventures have sprung up, building usable networks over the air using 802.11 technology. This is the story of how an idea to make our corporate network more flexible has evolved, and has become part of a worldwide movement to provide ubiquitous wireless network access.