These days, nearly all computers are hooked to networks and are able to connect to systems around the globe. Unix/Linux systems are no exception. This kind of connectivity changes relationships between families, friends, and people with shared interests dramatically. I hear from my sister far more often than the 2,920 miles between us would allow if facebook and gmail didn’t provide a way for us to share the fairly trivial news from our day-to-day lives. And I recently met a 5th cousin once removed on linkedin. That’s fairly incredible and something I’d never have had the patience or the tools to pull off 20 years ago.