WWW stands for World Wide Web, which is a system of interlinked hypertext documents that are accessed via the internet. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 and is the primary way that people access information on the internet. The documents on the web are written in HTML and can include text, images, videos, and other types of multimedia. Web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari are used to access the web.
Web Servers and Web browsers
A web server is a computer system that runs software that allows it to host websites and provide them to clients (web browsers) over the internet. When a user enters a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) into a web browser, the browser sends a request to the server for the corresponding web page. The server then responds by sending the requested page back to the browser, which renders it and displays it to the user.
Web browsers are software programs that allow users to access and navigate the web. They interpret the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript of web pages and display them to the user. Examples of popular web browsers include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Apple Safari.
Web servers and web browsers work together to allow users to access and view web pages. The web server serves the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to the browser, which then renders and displays the page to the user. The browser also interacts with the server, by sending requests for pages or data and receiving the responses from the server.
History of WWW
The World Wide Web (WWW) was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 while he was working at CERN, the European physics research organization. Berners-Lee had been working on a way to make it easier for scientists to share information, and he came up with the concept of hypertext, which allows users to jump from one document to another by clicking on hyperlinks. He also developed the first web browser and web server.
The first website went live on August 6, 1991, and it provided information about the World Wide Web project. The address of the website was http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html.
In 1993, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) released the first version of Mosaic, a popular web browser that made it easy for people to access and navigate the web. This helped to drive the early growth of the web.
In 1994, the first e-commerce website went live, which was called the Global Network Navigator, and was created by O’Reilly Media. Since then, the World Wide Web has grown exponentially, and it has become an integral part of daily life for billions of people around the world. Today, the web is used for a wide range of purposes, including communication, entertainment, education, commerce, and more.
Features of WWW
The World Wide Web (WWW) has several key features that make it a powerful tool for communication and information sharing:
- Hypertext: The web uses hypertext, which allows users to jump from one document to another by clicking on hyperlinks. This makes it easy to navigate and find information on the web.
- URLs: The web uses URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) to identify and locate web pages. URLs provide a unique address for each page on the web, making it easy for users to find and access specific information.
- HTML: The web uses HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to create and format web pages. HTML allows developers to create structured documents that include text, images, videos, and other multimedia elements.
- HTTP: The web uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to transfer data between web servers and web browsers. HTTP is the communication protocol that is used to request and receive web pages.
- Search engines: The web uses search engines to help users find information. Search engines like Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo, allow users to enter keywords or phrases and then return a list of relevant web pages.
- Interactivity: The web allows for interactivity, which enables users to interact with web pages by clicking on buttons, filling out forms, and more. This makes it possible to create dynamic web pages that can respond to user input.
- Multilingual and Global: The web is multilingual and global, meaning that it can be accessed from anywhere in the world and in any language.
Users of WWW
The World Wide Web (WWW) is used by a wide range of people and organizations, including:
- Individuals: Millions of people around the world use the web for a variety of purposes, such as communication, entertainment, education, and shopping.
- Businesses: Companies of all sizes use the web to reach customers, sell products and services, and promote their brand.
- Government agencies: Governments at all levels use the web to provide information and services to citizens, such as paying taxes, obtaining licenses, and accessing government records.
- Educational institutions: Schools, colleges, and universities use the web to provide information and resources to students and faculty, as well as to deliver online courses and programs.
- Non-profits: Non-profit organizations use the web to raise awareness, connect with donors and volunteers, and advocate for their causes.
- Media: News organizations, television and radio stations, and publishers use the web to deliver content and reach audiences.
- Researchers and Scientists: Researchers and Scientists use the web to share and access research papers, data, and scientific knowledge.
The list is not exhaustive but it gives an idea of the wide range of users that the WWW serves, and how it became an integral part of daily life for billions of people around the world.