PDF of the book: "./pna.pdf"
This is a great book. By far one of my favourites. As a curious student that wanted to know more about networking, it answered every question I could never find an answer to. It also taught me how to think.
It is not an easy read, both because the language is not always informal (English is not my native language), and because the ideas the book build may be difficult to grasp at first: it is a book to study, rather than simply read. You may have to un-learn most of what you have been taught in networking.
I fully recommend this book to network or telco engineers and researchers, and students curious about computer networks and telecommunications, and to anyone that wants to know, in depth, what that's all about.
I also recommend this book if you want to learn how to construct a scientific theory, and good elements of software design.
PNA builds from the knowledge learnt from the earliest days of computer networks, from the late 50s to the early 2000s. Throughout the book, the author dissects the evolution of networking and sheds light on the shortcomings of current networks, noting on the way every aspect that lead to the present state, from the impact of the social aspects at play in standardization, to the winding down of network research, into the modern world of ad-hoc engineering "kludges" solutions, with no theory or clear overarching design to support claims of improvements.
Chapter by chapter, and from simple assumptions, the author gradually builds as simple yet extensive a network design as possible, showcasing and utilising concepts of scientific theory and philosophy, and knowledge of past and current network engineering.
By the end of the book, a comprehensive foundation for a clean network design has been built, throughout demonstrated to be better than current technologies in every aspect, even as of today (2026). The book concludes with an outlook on future directions of network research and engineering.
Since the book's publication, numerous research and engineering efforts have been conducted, see https://pouzinsociety.org/.