# World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW or "the Web") is an information system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. It was invented by [[Tim Berners-Lee]] at CERN in 1989 and made publicly available in 1991. Berners-Lee combined existing concepts—[[Hypertext]] (from [[Ted Nelson]] and [[Douglas Engelbart]]), the Internet, and domain names—into a coherent system built on three core technologies: [[Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)]] for content, [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)]] for transfer, and URLs for addressing. Crucially, CERN made the technology freely available, enabling explosive global adoption.
The Web transformed how humanity accesses and shares information, becoming the primary interface to the Internet for billions of people. It evolved from static "Web 1.0" pages to interactive "Web 2.0" platforms (social media, user-generated content) and now toward "Web 3.0" concepts (semantic web, decentralization). The Web is governed by standards from the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), founded by Berners-Lee in 1994. While often confused with the Internet itself, the Web is one application layer running on top of Internet infrastructure—alongside email, FTP, and other protocols.
## Web Architecture
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WORLD WIDE WEB ARCHITECTURE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ CLIENT SERVER │
│ (Browser) (Web Server) │
│ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ │ 1. HTTP Request │ │ │
│ │ Browser │ ─────────────────▶ │ Web Server │ │
│ │ │ GET /page.html │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ 2. HTTP Response │ │ │
│ │ │ ◀───────────────── │ (HTML, CSS, │ │
│ │ │ HTML document │ JS, images)│ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ Rendered │ │
│ │ Web Page │ │
│ └──────────────┘ │
│ │
│ THREE PILLARS: │
│ • URL - Where to find it (addressing) │
│ • HTTP - How to get it (transfer protocol) │
│ • HTML - What it is (content format) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
## Core Technologies
| Technology | Purpose | Invented |
| ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------ | -------- |
| **[[Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)]]** | Document structure and content | 1990 |
| **[[Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)]]** | Request/response communication | 1991 |
| **URL/URI** | Unique resource addressing | 1990 |
| **CSS** | Visual presentation | 1996 |
| **[[JavaScript]]** | Client-side interactivity | 1995 |
| **DOM** | Document object model | 1998 |
## Timeline
| Year | Event |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------- |
| 1945 | [[Vannevar Bush]] proposes [[Memex]] |
| 1965 | [[Ted Nelson]] coins "hypertext" |
| 1968 | [[Douglas Engelbart]]'s Mother of All Demos |
| 1989 | [[Tim Berners-Lee]] proposes WWW at CERN |
| 1990 | First web server and browser |
| 1991 | First website goes public (info.cern.ch) |
| 1993 | Mosaic browser (first graphical browser) |
| 1994 | W3C founded; Netscape released |
| 1995 | JavaScript, Internet Explorer, Amazon |
| 1998 | Google founded |
| 2004 | "Web 2.0" coined; Facebook launches |
| 2005 | YouTube, AJAX popularized |
| 2008 | HTML5 development begins |
| 2014 | HTML5 becomes W3C recommendation |
## Web vs Internet
| Aspect | Internet | World Wide Web |
|--------|----------|----------------|
| **What** | Global network infrastructure | Information system on Internet |
| **Protocol** | TCP/IP | HTTP/HTTPS |
| **Invented** | 1969 (ARPANET) | 1989 |
| **Services** | Many (email, FTP, Web, etc.) | One service on Internet |
| **Access** | Various protocols | Web browsers |
## Web Evolution
| Era | Characteristics | Examples |
|-----|-----------------|----------|
| **Web 1.0** (1990s) | Static pages, read-only | Geocities, early portals |
| **Web 2.0** (2000s) | User-generated content, social, interactive | Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia |
| **Web 3.0** (2020s) | Semantic, decentralized, AI | Blockchain apps, semantic web |
## Web 1.0 vs Web 2.0
| Aspect | Web 1.0 | Web 2.0 |
|--------|---------|---------|
| **Content** | Publisher-created | User-generated |
| **Interaction** | Read-only | Read-write |
| **Architecture** | Static HTML | Dynamic, AJAX |
| **Focus** | Information delivery | Participation, community |
| **Monetization** | Banner ads | Targeted ads, freemium |
## Key Figures
| Person | Contribution |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| [[Tim Berners-Lee]] | Invented WWW, founded W3C |
| Robert Cailliau | Co-developed with Berners-Lee at CERN |
| [[Marc Andreessen]] | Created Mosaic, co-founded Netscape |
| [[Vannevar Bush]] | [[Memex]] concept (1945) |
| [[Ted Nelson]] | [[Hypertext]] term and vision |
| [[Douglas Engelbart]] | Hypertext demonstrations |
## Web Standards Organizations
| Organization | Role |
|--------------|------|
| **W3C** | HTML, CSS, accessibility standards |
| **WHATWG** | HTML Living Standard |
| **IETF** | HTTP, URI, Internet protocols |
| **ECMA** | JavaScript (ECMAScript) |
| **ISO** | International standards |
## Impact
| Domain | Transformation |
|--------|----------------|
| **Information** | Universal access to knowledge |
| **Commerce** | E-commerce, digital economy |
| **Communication** | Social media, messaging |
| **Media** | Streaming, digital publishing |
| **Work** | Remote work, collaboration |
| **Education** | Online learning, MOOCs |
## Berners-Lee's Original Vision
| Principle | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| **Decentralization** | No central control or single point of failure |
| **Open standards** | Anyone can build on the Web |
| **Universal access** | Accessible regardless of hardware, software, language |
| **Non-discrimination** | Net neutrality, equal access |
| **Bottom-up design** | Innovation without permission |
## First Website
```
The first website (info.cern.ch) went live on August 6, 1991.
It explained the World Wide Web project.
Original URL: http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html
A restored version is available at:
http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html
```
## References
- Berners-Lee, T. (1999). *Weaving the Web*
- https://www.w3.org/History.html
- https://info.cern.ch/ (first website, preserved)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web
## Related
- [[Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)]]
- [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)]]
- [[Hypertext]]
- [[Tim Berners-Lee]]
- [[Douglas Engelbart]]
- [[Ted Nelson]]
- [[Vannevar Bush]]
- [[Memex]]