*"Hypertext?" "NeXT?" Twenty years ago, Tim Berners-Lee announces his modest project. The World Wide Web isn't "dead media" yet, but it sure obliterated a lot of the once-thriving Internet features that preceded it.
3. Tim Berners-Lee
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(13 users) More options Aug 6 1991, 12:31 pm
In article [email protected] (Nari
Kannan) writes:
> Is anyone reading this newsgroup aware of research or development efforts
in
> the
> following areas:
> 1. Hypertext links enabling retrieval from multiple heterogeneous sources
of
> information?
The WorldWideWeb (WWW) project aims to allow links to be made to any
information anywhere. The address format includes an access method
(=namespace), and for most name spaces a hostname and some sort of path.
We have a prototype hypertext editor for the NeXT, and a browser for line mode
terminals which runs on almost anything. These can access files either locally,
NFS mounted, or via anonymous FTP.
They can also go out using a simple protocol
(HTTP) to a server which interprets some other data and returns equivalent
hypertext files. For example, we have a server running on our mainframe
(http://cernvm.cern.ch/FIND in WWW syntax) which makes all the CERN computer
center documentation available. The HTTP protocol allows for a keyword search
on an index, which generates a list of matching documents as annother virtual
hypertext document.
If you're interested in using the code, mail me. It's very prototype, but
available by anonymous FTP from info.cern.ch. It's copyright CERN but free
distribution and use is not normally a problem. (((Gee thanks for this generosity Tim.)))
The NeXTstep editor can also browse news. (((No kidding.))) If you are using it to read this,
then click on this: to find
out more about the project. We haven't put the news access into the line mode
browser yet.
We also have code for a hypertext server. You can use this to make files
available (like anonymous FTP but faster because it only uses one connection).
You can also hack it to take a hypertext address and generate a virtual
hypertext document from any other data you have - database, live data etc. It's
just a question of generating plain text or SGML (ugh! but standard) mark-up on
the fly. The browsers then parse it on the fly.
The WWW project was started to allow high energy physicists to share data,
news, and documentation. We are very interested in spreading the web to other
areas, and having gateway servers for other data. Collaborators welcome! I'll
post a short summary as a separate article.
Tim Berners-Lee [email protected]
World Wide Web project Tel: +41(22)767 3755
CERN Fax: +41(22)767 7155
1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland (usual disclaimer)
Reply to author Forward Report spam ((( I promised to post a short summary of the
WorldWideWeb project. Mail me with any queries.
WorldWideWeb - Executive Summary
The WWW project merges the techniques of information retrieval and hypertext to
make an easy but powerful global information system. ((("Whaah? You already lost me. Quit babbling jargon, son! As an executive, I'm a busy man!")))
The project started with the philosophy that much academic information should
be freely available to anyone. ((("Philosophy"? Posh! talk business!)))
It aims to allow information sharing within
internationally dispersed teams, and the dissemination of information by
support groups.
Reader view
The WWW world consists of documents, and links. Indexes are special documents
which, rather than being read, may be searched. The result of such a search is
another ("virtual") document containing links to the documents found. A simple
protocol ("HTTP") is used to allow a browser program to request a keyword
search by a remote information server.
The web contains documents in many formats. Those documents which are
hypertext, (real or virtual) contain links to other documents, or places
within documents. All documents, whether real, virtual or indexes, look similar
to the reader and are contained within the same addressing scheme.
To follow a link, a reader clicks with a mouse (or types in a number if he or
she has no mouse). ((("Slow down, physics genius – what's a "mouse"?)))
To search and index, a reader gives keywords (or other
search criteria). These are the only operations necessary to access the entire
world of data.
Information provider view
The WWW browsers can access many existing data systems via existing protocols
(FTP, NNTP) or via HTTP and a gateway. In this way, the critical mass of data
is quickly exceeded, and the increasing use of the system by readers and
information suppliers encourage each other.
Making a web is as simple as writing a few SGML files which point to your
existing data. Making it public involves running the FTP or HTTP daemon, and
making at least one link into your web from another. In fact, any file
available by anonymous FTP can be immediately linked into a web. The very small
start-up effort is designed to allow small contributions. At the other end of
the scale, large information providers may provide an HTTP server with full
text or keyword indexing.
The WWW model gets over the frustrating incompatibilities of data format
between suppliers and reader by allowing negotiation of format between a smart
browser and a smart server. This should provide a basis for extension into
multimedia, and allow those who share application standards to make full use of
them across the web.
This summary does not describe the many exciting possibilities opened up by the
WWW project, such as efficient document caching. the reduction of redundant
out-of-date copies, and the use of knowledge daemons. There is more
information in the online project documentation, including some background on
hypertext and many technical notes. ((("Tell me more about the "knowledge
daemons". Can I hire a few of those and maybe fire these stuck-up programmers?")))
Try it
A prototype (very alpha test) simple line mode browser is currently available
in source form from node info.cern.ch [currently 128.141.201.74] as
/pub/WWW/WWWLineMode_0.9.tar.Z.
Also available is a hypertext editor for the NeXT using the NeXTStep graphical
user interface, and a skeleton server daemon.
Documentation is readable using www (Plain text of the instalation instructions
is included in the tar file!). Document
http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html
is as good a place to start as any. Note these coordinates may change with
later releases.
_________________________________________________________________
Tim Berners-Lee Tel: +41(22)767 3755
WorldWideWeb project Fax: +41(22)767 7155
C.E.R.N. email: [email protected]
1211 Geneva 23
Switzerland
Reply to author Forward Report spam
Discussion subject changed to "WorldWideWeb: UPDATE" by Tim Berners-Lee
5. Tim Berners-Lee
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(5 users) (((( I posted a summary of the WorldWideWeb
wide-area hypertext system.
Thanks to feedback from many people, some bugs have been fixed. In particular,
the documentation shipped with the tar file now contains absolute links to
futher references on our servers, so that the links will still work when the
files are read elsewhere. There are a few other minor changes. Details are in
the bug and feature lists in the online documenation. New tar files are
available as follows. Instructions are enclosed in each.
WWWLineMode_0.11.tar.Z Portable line mode hypertext browser - source.
WWWNeXTStepEditor_0.12.tar.Z NeXTStep hypertext browser/editor.
The following tar files remain unchanged:
WWWDaemon_0.1.tar.Z Simple hypertext server program
Many thanks to all those who are using the code and commented, both for the
enthusiasm and the bug reports!
Tim
________________________________________________________________________
Tim Berners-Lee Tel: +41(22)767 3755
WorldWideWeb project Fax: +41(22)767 7155
C.E.R.N. email: [email protected]
1211 Geneva 23
Switzerland
