The Big Bucks (Paperback or Softback)

It’s 1985. For Janet, Dan, Matt, and Cassie, the internet is just some academic thing in universities. They’re engineers working at 3Com, building their lives in the new frontier of Silicon Valley. Everyone’s watching Microsoft and IBM nervously — will networking be just one more business that they own?

A modern woman with means, Janet wades into the deep water of buying her first house, on her own; hiring a handsome contractor, Walt, to remodel. Meanwhile, Matt and his social climbing wife Miriam also hire Walt, on Janet’s recommendation, to fix up their Perfect Palo Alto house. It becomes the Remodeling Job From Hell. Distraught, Janet is caught in the middle. Rumors fly.

The internal email system that powers 3Com is run by Dan, who inadvertently starts one of the world’s first social networks by creating a want ad system. A single listing becomes pages of off-topic debate. All the while, the Internet is slowly, imperceptibly gaining momentum. Dan and Matt look on with envy.

Cassie works for Janet. She and the others work behind the scenes to wrangle happiness for Janet, despite being told not to. Will they make a match, without Janet finding out?

Cassie’s nemesis mysteriously quits, apologizing for his inappropriate email, but no one has any idea what he’s talking about. Can Dan and Matt track down what happened?

This is a follow-on to Inventing the Future, but you don't have to have read that. There's a plot synopsis in the back, if you want to find out what the characters did on the Xerox Star.