The internet has changed the way people interact. We use it in practically every facet of life. Food or grocery delivery, shopping, and instant messaging are all possibilities. Prior to the internet, if you wanted to keep up with the latest news, you had to walk to the newsstand and buy a newspaper. But now you can read your local paper as well as any news source anywhere in the world, updated to the minute, with just a few clicks. The internet’s never-ending supply of information has impacted education at all levels by providing limitless learning opportunities. Students’ imaginations are enthralled and stimulated by these innovative teaching and learning methods.
You may understand that the internet is a global network of interconnected computers, but it was the World Wide Web that revolutionized technology by connecting data and making it accessible to everyone. In theory, a web is a collection of web pages stored on a computer network.
Birth of the Web
In 1989, British physicist Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web while working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva. Tim observed that scientists from all over the world found it difficult to share data from their experiments, so he developed a new mode of communication that made data sharing simple. He viewed it as a free and global “information space” where anyone could share information, communicate, and work.
The World Wide Web was created to satisfy the need for global collaboration among scientists at universities and research institutes.
How the Web Began?
Tim proposed the World Wide Web for the first time in March 1989, describing it as a collection of hypertext pages that browsers could read. Lee built the very first web server and browser in 1990. This included hyperlinks, hypertexts and links to other web servers. The WWW design made it simple to find existing information. Because there were no search engines in the early years, a search function relied on keywords.
Few people had access to the first browser, and the program was made accessible to all CERN staff using computers in March 1991. A few months later, in August 1991, Tim announced the WWW software on Internet newsgroups, hence increasing interest in the project.
Going Global
In December 1991, the U.S.’ first web server came online. By late 1993, there were over 500 known web servers. The WWW accounted for 1% of all internet traffic, which looked like a lot. In May 1994, the “Year of the Web” saw the first International World Wide Web Conference, which welcomed 380 users and developers. In October, the second conference, held in the United States, attracted 1,300 people. By 1994, the web had 10,000 servers and 10 million users. Security and e-commerce technologies were among the soon-to-be-added features.
The world wide web has three major components:
- URL (uniform resource locator), which is used to find a document
- HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol), which is used to connect computers
- HTML (hypertext markup language), which is used to style pages with hypertext links
Web pages, formatted in HTML and connected by hypertext or hyperlinks, form the World Wide Web Foundation. HTTP can be used to access hypertext. These are electronic connectors that link related pieces of information so that users may quickly get what they are searching for. The merit of hypertext is that it allows you to choose a word or phrase from a text and leads you to other sites that provide further information on that word or phrase.
A Uniform Resource Locator, also known as a URL, is an internet address given to a web page. A collection of pages that belong to a given URL, such as www.google.com, www.facebook.com, etc. Hence, the World Wide Web functions as a giant electronic book, with pages saved on many servers throughout the world.
Why is the Web so Important?
The internet has become accessible to everyone because of the World Wide Web. It connected the globe in ways that had not been imagined before, making it simpler for people to get, share, and convey information.
Evolution of the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web has evolved significantly. The original websites were simple pages with only text and images, similar to online books or magazines. People began to communicate and share more as the web grew in popularity, and they used blogs and social networking platforms. It has become considerably easier to develop and publish your web content. The technology that powered the first web pages is still in use today.
The World Wide Web, owing to this amazing invention, made the internet available to everyone, not only scientists. It connected the world so that individuals could obtain, exchange, and transmit information easily. People can now share their work and ideas on social networking sites, blogs, video sharing sites, and other platforms.
The World Wide Web is still evolving. For example, search engines have improved their ability to read, comprehend, and interpret data. These engines work with the help of several computer programs, which are coded in a way that helps visitors find the most suitable web results for their searches.
Introduction to Programming Languages
Programming languages are like a set of rules for writing any type of code. Web pages and apps are created using programming languages. It is used to program the websites, applications, and other technologies that we use daily.
Programming languages have come a long way since the first-ever machine algorithm, invented in 1843 by Ada Lovelace for Charles Babbage’s Difference Machine. The oldest programming language is FORTRAN, which was developed in 1957, while COBOL, which is still used in banking and gamification systems, was created in 1959. The other programming languages developed include BASIC (1964), PASCAL (1970), SQL (1972), C++ (1983), Python (1991), JAVA, and PHP (1995).
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the three important coding languages, work together to build functional and useful websites. Coding is used in practically every aspect of modern life, from the phone, tablet, and computer apps to other digital devices such as smart TVs and calculators.
Did reading this from BYJU’S FutureSchool blog help you understand the World Wide Web better?
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