World Wide Web (WWW)

WWW stands for World Wide Web and is commonly known as the Web. The
WWW was started by CERN in 1989. WWW is defined as the collection of
different websites around the world, containing different information shared
via local servers(or computers).
Web pages are linked together using hyperlinks which are HTML-formatted
and, also referred to as hypertext, these are the fundamental units of the
Internet and are accessed through Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP). Such
digital connections, or links, allow users to easily access desired information by
connecting relevant pieces of information. The benefit of hypertext is it allows
you to pick a word or phrase from the text and click on other sites that have
more information about it. This data may be presented in text, picture, audio,
or video formats on the internet.
History of the WWW
It is a project created, by Tim Berner Lee in 1989, for researchers to work
together effectively at CERN. It is an organization, named the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C), which was developed for further development of the web.
This organization is directed by Tim Berner’s Lee, aka the father of the
web. CERN, where Tim Berners worked, is a community of more than 1700
researchers from more than 100 countries. These researchers spend a little
time on CERN and the rest of the time they work at their colleges and national
research facilities in their home country, so there was a requirement for solid
communication so that they can exchange data.
System Architecture
From the user’s point of view, the web consists of a vast, worldwide connection
of documents or web pages. Each page may contain links to other pages
anywhere in the world. The pages can be retrieved and viewed by using
browsers of which internet explorer, Netscape Navigator, Google Chrome, etc
are the popular ones. The browser fetches the page requested interprets the
text and formatting commands on it, and displays the page, properly formatted,
on the screen.
The basic model of how the web works are shown in the figure below. Here
the browser is displaying a web page on the client machine. When the user
clicks on a line of text that is linked to a page on the abd.com server, the
browser follows the hyperlink by sending a message to the abd.com server
asking it for the page.
Here the browser displays a web page on the client machine when the user
clicks on a line of text that is linked to a page on abd.com, the browser follows
the hyperlink by sending a message to the abd.com server asking for the page.
Working of WWW
A Web browser is used to access web pages. Web browsers can be defined as
programs which display text, data, pictures, animation, and video on the
Internet. Hyperlinked resources on the World Wide Web can be accessed using
software interfaces provided by Web browsers. Initially, Web browsers were
used only for surfing the Web but now they have become more universal.
The below diagram indicates how the Web operates just like client-server
architecture of the internet. When users request web pages or other
information, then the web browser of your system request to the server for the
information and then the web server provide requested services to web
browser back and finally the requested service is utilized by the user who made
the request.
 World Wide Web

Web browsers can be used for several tasks including conducting searches,
mailing, transferring files, and much more. Some of the commonly used
browsers are Internet Explorer, Opera Mini, and Google Chrome.
Features of WWW
• WWW is open source.
• It is a distributed system spread across various websites.
• It is a Hypertext Information System.
• It is Cross-Platform.
• Uses Web Browsers to provide a single interface for many services.
• Dynamic, Interactive and Evolving.
Components of the Web
There are 3 components of the web:
• Uniform Resource Locator (URL): URL serves as a system for
resources on the web.
• Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP): HTTP specifies
communication of browser and server.
• Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML): HTML defines the
structure, organisation and content of a web page.
Difference Between WWW and Internet
WWW Internet

It is originated in 1989. It is originated in 1960.

WWW is an interconnected network of websites

Internet is used to connect a
and documents that can be accessed via the
computer with other computer .
Internet.
 WWW Internet

Internet used protocols such

WWW used protocols such as HTTP
as TCP/IP

It is based on software. It is based on hardware.

There is a entire infrastructure in

It is a service contained inside an infrastructure.
internet.

Web Browser Evolution and the Growth of the World

Wide Web
In the early 1990s, Tim Berners-Lee and his team created a basic text web
browser. It was the release of the more user-friendly Mosaic browser in 1993
that really sparked widespread interest in the World Wide Web (WWW).
Mosaic had a clickable interface similar to what people were already familiar
with on personal computers, which made it easier for everyone to use the
internet.
Mosaic was developed by Marc Andreessen and others in the United States.
They later made Netscape Navigator, which became the most popular browser
in 1994. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer took over in 1995 and held the top spot
for many years. Mozilla Firefox came out in 2004, followed by Google Chrome
in 2008, both challenging IE’s dominance. In 2015, Microsoft replaced Internet
Explorer with Microsoft Edge.
Challenges of the World Wide Web
• Privacy Concerns: Personal data is often collected and misused.
• Security Risks: Vulnerable to hacking, phishing, and malware.
• Digital Divide: Unequal access to the internet globally.
• Misinformation: Spread of fake news and unreliable content.
• Cyberbullying: Online harassment and abuse.
• Addiction: Overuse of the web leading to reduced productivity.
• Dependence: Heavy reliance on the web for daily activities.
• Copyright Issues: Unauthorized sharing of copyrighted material.
• Environmental Impact: High energy consumption of servers and
data centers.
• Complexity of Regulation: Difficult to enforce laws across countries