That is, btw, an absolutely fantastic distant future sci-fi novel. Among the best of all time. (Vinge doesn't consistently product books that good, but man that one is great.)

Just bought it because that premise sounds amazing. Amazon has it listed as "Zones of Thought series Book 2". Should I read book 1 before reading this?

Maybe, but I don't think you necessarily need to. I started with A Deepness in the Sky and then read the other two (and then all the other books Vinge has written).

Especially since it is actually a prequel, I don't think the order is that important.

There are things in Deepness that will have more significance if you've read A Fire upon the Deep, but nothing central to the plot. They're both standalone novels, just in the same setting/universe/background.

A great book, full of interesting ideas and implications of software development carried on over millennia.