The World Wide Web

Write up for CS344G: (Your) Great Ideas for Networked Applications reading on the World Wide Web.

Reading list
CT. J. Berners-Lee, R. Cailliau, and J.-F. Groff. 1992. The World-Wide Web.
Tim Berners-Lee, The World Wide Web: Past, Present and Future

Before the web
  • Silos of information - incompatible protocols, networks and data formats
  • At a time when more and more information is being recorded electronically
  • As We May Think – Vannevar Bush [1945]
    • “The summation of human experience is being expanded at a prodigious rate, and the means we use for threading through the consequent maze to the momentarily important item is the same as was used in the days of square-rigged ships.”
    • “This is the essential feature of the memex. The process of tying two items together is the important thing.”
Goal of the web
  • Shared information space through which people and machines could communicate
    • Globally shared information space
    • Machine analysis of work patterns, interactions and thoughts
Design criteria
  • Allow random associations between any objects
  • Independent systems (scalable)
  • No constraints on language/OS/user mental model of data
  • Easy to use (browse and add new information)
  • Supports all platforms and forward compatible
Full write-up here
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