It's impressive because it's ~3 years before Neuromancer, and in many ways it's a better predictor of "the internet" as a cultural thing. It nails a lot of the social aspects of online forums, for instance. It lacks the raw style of Neuromancer, alas.

It helps that Vinge is a computer scientist; he probably had a better view of what was coming down the pike than Gibson did. And no, he's a solid writer, but not the stylist Gibson was (and, actually, still is).

E. M. Forster predicted something like the internet and online forums in 1909 in The Machine Stops.

I went on a Vinge binge when I'd heard that he was the originator of the singularity concept. Didn't like any of his work, including True Names. I liked Neuromancer and Count Zero way more.

Thanks for rec. Neuromancer is an all time fave. Amazing how well it has held up

Cyberpunk and head crash by bruce bethke is also good