eff's first book was published in 1993 as "the big dummy's guide to the internet", a beginners' how-to manual by contracted technical writer adam gaffin, and made available for free download in many formats. mit press published it in paperback form in 1994 as "everybody's guide to the internet" (). the online edition was updated regularly throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and translated into dozens of languages.