That last point might change as you get deeper into the novel.
Still such a great novel; has aged very, very well.
I read it just before Cyberpunk came out, just to know some more history of what I was stepping into. I was completely flabbergasted by how modern it felt to me.
I don't have the patience to read much anymore unless it is real good. I ate that one, more than once. And the others.
I wonder why the US went in so hard on removing or deactivating them (though we still have them here and there). Capitalism and not wanting to maintain stuff that's not used often, I guess.