World Wide Web

Overview[]

The World Wide Web is an online database where documents can be accessed through the Internet. It is a place where one can view different kinds of media, including photos, videos, and text.

Definition and History[]

The World Wide Web is abbreviated as www and is a system in which people can access many different kinds of documents. It was originated by Tim Berners-Lee, who was a British computer scientist and CERN employee near Geneva, Switzerland. He invented the World Wide Web in 1989. This happened after the Internet had its first connection. Berners- Lee realized that there had to be a better communication system for CERN because the scientists had a difficult time exchanging and sharing their findings. This made Berners- Lee utilize the idea of computers being connects through the Internet. People didn’t support his idea at first. Despite that, he used the help of Robert Cailliau to start up the “Hypertext Project” called the “World Wide Web.” The first website was completed in December and the first test was done in December 1990. In August 1991, Berners-Lee reported the project on a newsgroup. After this, people outside the CERN used this service as well. In 1994, Berners-Lee founded the W3, which helps ensure that the Web is working well for everyone. Since many people use and rely on the Web, Berners-Lee helped start the Web Science Trust (WST), which brings together computer scientists, mathematicians, engineers and other decision makers from around the world to improve the World Wide Web. This foundation helps advance the Web to help reach its full potential.

Impact[]

The impact that the World-Wide Web has had is profound. This invention has connected the world like never before. People in Europe can find out what is happening instantly on the opposite side of the globe with just a few minutes on the internet. Most knowledge around the world can be easily found and shared for the anyone on the planet to see.This has fostered an intense globalization since the creation of the World-Wide- Web that never existed before. The explosion of social media is also an extremely important aspect of the World-Wide-Web, allowing people to connect and talk with their friends and family while not physically seeing them in person.

Examples[]

The World Wide Web mainly serves as a service transferred over networks of the Internet. It is a bunch of hyperlinks and URLs that people use to access webpages. Some of the examples of the World Wide Web would be the websites we use every day. This may include social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This can also include going on an email or typing something into google.

Additionally, there are considered two versions of the World Wide Web sites:

Web 1.0:[]

An early stage of the World Wide Web’s evolution where sites were considered static and were not interactive. The information on these sites contain information that does not change that often and where visitors do not have the ability to contribute.

Example: http://www.britannica.com/

Web 2.0:[]

Sites which allow users to interact and collaborate with each other

Example: http://www.wikipedia.org/

Resources and Further Reading[]

Berners-Lee, Tim; Bray, Tim; Connolly, Dan; Cotton, Paul; Fielding, Roy; Jeckle, Mario; Lilley, Chris; Mendelsohn, Noah; Orchard, David; Walsh, Norman; Williams, Stuart (15 December 2004). "Architecture of the World Wide Web, Volume One". Version 20041215. W3C. <http://www.w3.org/TR/webarch/> An in-depth overview of the architecture of the World Wide Web and its core design components.
Wikipedians, By. "World Wide Web." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <https://books.google.com/books?id=1oa-vWbdH3EC&lpg=PP1&ots=JkvXtsoA2l&dq=world%20wide%20web%20by%20wikipedians&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false> A comprehensive book about the World Wide Web including its history and how it works.
Zelnick, Bob, and Eva Zelnick. "The Illusion of Net Neutrality." Google Books. Hoover Institute Press Publication, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <https://books.google.com/books?id=Q10phY811tUC&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=World+Wide+Web+Technology+Architecture:+A+Conceptual+Analysis&source=bl&ots=0-kkTTTRFE&sig=ckJfSOcOzQ8Y4n11DgH8afYtNwA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zgiOVNntIYaLyATp5YGYDA&ved=0CDIQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false> One of the controversial topics that is now surrounding the World Wide Web. Learn more about it in this book.
Berners-Lee, Tim. "World Wide Web." The Project. N.p., 9 Aug. 1991. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html> This is the first website ever made. Published by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web.
"Internet vs World Wide Web." - Difference and Comparison. Diffen, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.diffen.com/difference/Internet_vs_World_Wide_Web> A website article clarifiying the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web.

Keywords[]

Sources[]

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web>.

"History of the Web." World Wide Web Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2015. <http://webfoundation.org/about/vision/history-of-the-web/>.