World Wide Web

Overview and History - The World Wide Web (WWW) is an information system that enables content sharing over the Internet. - It allows access to documents and resources through the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). - The Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 and opened to the public in 1991. - Web resources are accessed through uniform resource locators (URLs). - The most common document type on the Web is a web page formatted in HTML. - Tim Berners-Lee invented the Web while working at CERN. - He was motivated by the problem of storing, updating, and finding documents in a large organization. - Berners-Lee adopted concepts from his private ENQUIRE system and Ted Nelson's hypertext model. - He submitted a proposal to CERN in May 1989 and implemented a working system by the end of 1990. - The Web was released to other research institutions in 1991 and quickly spread. Development and Popularity - The Web protocol and code were made available royalty-free in 1993, leading to widespread use. - The release of the Mosaic web browser in 1993 contributed to the Web's popularity. - Netscape Navigator, introduced in 1994, became the dominant browser. - Microsoft developed Internet Explorer, starting the browser wars. - The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was founded by Tim Berners-Lee and recommended XHTML. Nomenclature - The official spelling is 'World Wide Web,' but it is often called 'the Web.' - In Mandarin Chinese, it is commonly translated as 'wàn wéi wǎng' (万维网). - The use of the www prefix has been declining. - Web applications often brand their domain names without adding www. - Mobile web usage has contributed to the decline of the www prefix. Function and Difference between Internet and World Wide Web - The World Wide Web is an application layer protocol that runs on top of the Internet. - It helps to make the Internet more functional. - The Mosaic web browser improved the usability of the web by introducing image and GIF display. - The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks. - The Internet is a network of computer networks connected through telecommunications and optical networking. - The World Wide Web is a global collection of documents and resources linked by hyperlinks and URIs. - Web resources are accessed using HTTP or HTTPS protocols. - HTTP and HTTPS are application-level Internet protocols. - The Internet's transport protocols are used by HTTP and HTTPS. Accessing Web Pages and Resolving URLs - Web pages can be accessed by typing the URL into a web browser. - Web pages can also be accessed by following a hyperlink. - Web browsers initiate background communication messages to fetch and display requested pages. - Browsing, web surfing, and navigating the Web are terms used to describe using a browser to view web pages. - Studies have identified different user patterns in web browsing behavior. - Web browsers resolve server names into IP addresses using the Domain Name System (DNS). - DNS is globally distributed and translates server names to IP addresses. - The browser sends an HTTP request to the computer's IP address. - The HTTP request is sent across the Internet. - The browser requests service from the World Wide Web. - A web browser accessing a page at a specific URL is used as an example. - The server name of the URL is resolved into an IP address using DNS. - The browser sends an HTTP request to the computer at the IP address. - The browser requests service from the World Wide Web. - The requested resource is fetched and displayed by the browser.