The Diamond Age is a great book. Neal Stephenson is known for researching concepts he writes about, so the technology present in the setting is based on Drexler

The Diamond Age is a great book. Neal Stephenson is known for researching concepts he writes about, so the technology present in the setting is based on Drexler's thesis. I wouldn't call it "a dream" in a sense that it's utterly unrealistic; physics says that these systems can work.