Jon Katz -- a former HotWired staffer -- took to a grass-roots pulpit to denounce an ominous deal between Netscape and AOL. Katz believes in the power of individuals freely exchanging information -- rather than large, monolithic corporations determining what users can and can't see. And how much they'll pay...

The glorious cacophony of voices on the internet produces a diverse dialogue -- whether its grass-roots newsletters, song parodies, or simply individuals rising up to share their experience. The internet gives these users a global audience. But will they be respected the big software companies that control the crucial software they use?

And will they have a choice?