Cyberpunka short story by Bruce BethkeForewordIn the early spring of 1980 I wrote a little story about a bunchof teenage hackers. From the very first draft this story had aname and lo the name was--And you can bet any body part youd care to name that had Ihad even the slightest least inkling of a clue that I would stillbe answering questions about this word nearly 18 years later Iwould have bloody well trademarked the damned thingNonetheless I didnt and as youre probably aware thec-word has gone on to have a fascinating career all its own.At this late date I am not trying to claim unwarranted credit ortarnish anyone elses glory. Frankly Id much rather peoplewere paying attention to what Im writing now --e.g. my PhilipK. Dick Award-winning novel Headcrash Orbit Books 5.99 inpaperback. But for those folks who are obsessed with historyhere in tightly encapsulated form is the story behind thestory.The invention of the c-word was a conscious and deliberateact of creation on my part. I wrote the story in the earlyspring of 1980 and from the very first draft it was titledCyberpunk. In calling it that I was actively trying to invent anew term that