The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW or Web) is an information system where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet. Here's a detailed overview:
History
- Conception: The idea of the Web was proposed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 while working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. He envisioned a global hypertext project which would allow scientists to share documents over the Internet.
- First Implementation: By 1990, Berners-Lee had written the first web browser and server, and by the end of that year, the first web page was served on the Internet.
- Public Access: The Web went public in 1991 when CERN made the code available on a royalty-free basis, fostering its growth.
- Evolution: The Web has evolved significantly since its inception, incorporating new technologies like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5, leading to dynamic web applications, video streaming, and social media.
Components
- Web Browser: Software used to access the Web, allowing users to view, navigate, and interact with web pages.
- Web Server: A computer system that stores, processes, and delivers web pages to users via the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).
- Web Pages: Documents written in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) which can include text, images, videos, and links to other pages.
- URLs: Uniform Resource Locators are the addresses used to locate resources on the Web.
Technological Foundation
- HTML: Hypertext Markup Language is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser.
- HTTP: HyperText Transfer Protocol is the underlying protocol used by the Web to define how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands.
- CSS: Cascading Style Sheets define how HTML elements are to be displayed.
- JavaScript: A programming language that allows for interactive and dynamic content on web pages.
Impact
- Global Connectivity: The Web has connected people across the globe, fostering communication, commerce, and the sharing of information.
- E-commerce: The rise of online shopping has transformed retail.
- Information Accessibility: The Web has democratized access to knowledge, although this has also brought challenges like misinformation.
Current Trends
- Mobile Web: With the advent of smartphones, web usage has shifted significantly towards mobile devices.
- Web 2.0: Refers to the evolution of web design to include user-generated content, usability, and interoperability for end users.
- Semantic Web: An extension of the Web through standards set by the W3C, aiming at making the Web machine-readable.
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