... and this is what near-future SF ought to be like -- not that I'd expect any less from Vinge. I'm not sure how well this is going to date, but right now it feels plausible enough -- and it's nice to see an extrapolated world where stuff more or less works socially, for once.
I've not read the short story to which this is a sequel. I should probably fix that.
(Also: Alice, Bob and Eve Mallory? Heh.)
ISBN 0812536363. Search for this book on Wikipedia or isbn.nu.