I just learned that a new book on computer and internet history has been published that is written in Arabic. The author, Richard Hayek (based in Lebanon), is an IT journalist for an Abu Dhabi based newspaper. It is the first book (that is known) written in Arabic on the topic. I'm in contact with the author and am in the process of ordering several copies. As far as I know, the only way to get the book here in the States (or anywhere outside the Middle East) is by ordering it through him. If anyone else is by chance interested in a copy then let me know and I'll order you a copy as well. They are US$8.25 each plus postage. This of course has personal interest for me but I think it also indicates how that part of the world is finally joining the computer revolution. Computer and Internet penetration has taken a long time for most Middle East nations, but some have adapted faster than others. Lebanon, for instance, has some of the highest penetration of the Internet, with Internet cages everywhere. I would imagine other more affluent nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain probably have a higher per capita penetration of personal computers but I don't know what the controls over the Internet are. Many Middle East nations have internet access of some kind though it is heavily censored usually. Anyway, kinda neat. -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]