Tim Berners-Lee Proposes World Wide Web
November 12th, 1990
November 12th, 1990

How Long Ago?
34 years, 4 months, 3 days ago
Location
Geneva, Switzerland
Category
Technology & Innovation
People
- Tim Berners-Lee
Links & References
Tags
Tim Berners-Lee Proposes World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web, introducing the concept of hypertext and a system to link documents. This proposal outlined a method for sharing information and facilitated the creation of a global connected network. The document did not only serve as a proposal but also laid the groundwork for the operating principles of the web, emphasizing functionalities that would define its future.
Introduced concept of hypertext for navigation
Layed groundwork for HTML, HTTP, and URI
Developed at CERN, focusing on information sharing
Prototype web browser and server created by December
What Happened?
Tim Berners-Lee published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web while working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Geneva, Switzerland. His proposal was titled 'Information Management: A Proposal' and marked a significant step in the development of the internet. The document introduced the concept of hypertext, which allows users to navigate between documents and resources easily, an essential feature of web browsing today. Berners-Lee’s vision of a decentralized information system aimed to make access to information easier for researchers and the general public alike.
In his proposal, Berners-Lee detailed how the web could function by utilizing a set of protocols and software, namely HTML (HyperText Markup Language), URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). This foundational framework was essential for the interconnectivity of web pages and the seamless sharing of information across different platforms. By December that year, he had a fully functional prototype of the web that included a web browser and the first web server.
The impact of Berners-Lee’s proposal transcended its immediate goals. It initiated the rapid development of web technologies and the overarching internet infrastructure. The ability for different computer systems to communicate and share information effectively transformed how information was accessed and navigated, leading directly to the explosion of web-based services and applications over the subsequent decades.
Why Does it Matter?
The publication of the formal proposal for the World Wide Web is interesting because it sparked the inception of a technology that revolutionized communication and information sharing globally. It laid the foundation for modern internet usage, leading to the development of countless applications and services that connect billions of people today.
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