The WWW

[Knock-on]

I was just having a little nostalgic moment thinking back to when the Web was built.

Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea of interlinking hypertext in the early eighties but it wasn't until 1991 that he was authorised to build the first website at CERN on the technology he developed (ENQUIRE).

Has any invention, since the Nuclear bomb, done so much, so quickly, to change the planet.

The internet is a great backbone but the WWW is the content that really changes our lives.

From one website in 1991 to what we have now is staggering. It's strange to take a little trip back to pre-web days and try to remember what it was like.

[BDunnell]

I agree with your assessment. However, I would argue that the employment of the jet engine has been similarly significant.

[Eki]

Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea of interlinking hypertext in the early eighties but it wasn't until 1991 that he was authorised to build the first website at CERN on the technology he developed (ENQUIRE).

Was he really the first who came up with the idea, or just the first who implemented it?

I remember the British Telecom claiming they had patented the hyperlinks:

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,37095,00.html

"For years, British Telecom says it tolerated the royalty-free use of a technology it patented in 1989, but recently it had a change of heart and decided it was time to collect.

Last week its lawyers sent out letters to the top Internet service providers in the United States, alerting them they'd best begin discussions for licensing the technology, referred to in BT's patent as "an information handling system in which information is derived from a computer at a remote point and transmitted via the public telephone network to terminal apparatus." "

[Knock-on]

I agree with your assessment. However, I would argue that the employment of the jet engine has been similarly significant.

We had airplanes before the Jet so things have more evolved than exploded.

Jet engines make things more convenient but you cannot say that within 15 years of their first flight, 1954, that they changed just about every bodies lives.

The atomic bomb changed the course of a world war overnight. That was massive but the Jut engine, regardless of whether it's the 39 or 41 trial, has just been a natural progression of the evolution of travel.

[BeansBeansBeans]

That was massive but the Jet engine, regardless of whether it's the 39 or 41 trial, has just been a natural progression of the evolution of travel.

It could argued that the internet has just been a natural progression of the evolution of communication.

[CarlMetro]

Has any invention, since the Nuclear bomb, done so much, so quickly, to change the planet.

The internal combustion engine.

[Knock-on]

Was he really the first who came up with the idea, or just the first who implemented it?

I remember the British Telecom claiming they had patented the hyperlinks:

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,37095,00.html

"For years, British Telecom says it tolerated the royalty-free use of a technology it patented in 1989, but recently it had a change of heart and decided it was time to collect.

Last week its lawyers sent out letters to the top Internet service providers in the United States, alerting them they'd best begin discussions for licensing the technology, referred to in BT's patent as "an information handling system in which information is derived from a computer at a remote point and transmitted via the public telephone network to terminal apparatus." "

This is a pretty good start.

http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/history/ivh/chap2.htm#The%20World%20Wide%20Web%20(WWW)

Looking at the article you supplied, I think BT are on a loser with this one.

Hypertext was around way before this. BT, along with UCL had forerunner networks that were part of the first European Internet but trying to pull a stroke like this is very ambitious.

The only thing they are banking on is the actual telephone network medium for packet transfer and not a dedicated network cable.

However, how many people use dial-up these days instead of broadband or Wireless.

Storm in a tea-cup.

After a bit of digging I found this which is pretty good as well and explains some of the inertia pre- 1990.

http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~wwwbtb/book/chap1/web_hist.html

Finally, "from the horses mouth", a timeline for the www. August the 6th 1991 is the date of the first published website.

http://www.w3.org/History.html

[Eki]

It could argued that the internet has just been a natural progression of the evolution of communication.
Yes, there was BBS before WWW:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system

"Bulletin board systems were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the World Wide Web and other aspects of the Internet. BBSes were a highly social phenomenon and were used for meeting people and having discussions in message boards as well as for publishing articles, downloading software, playing games and many more things using a single application."

[Knock-on]

It could argued that the internet has just been a natural progression of the evolution of communication.

I would argue that the Jet engine did not change the World as radically because we already had pretty capable prop craft.

A stop change is as Carl points out, an internal combustion engine. If it was a Jet engine then we would have had to go straight from the Montgolfier Bros to the Jet engine.

I suggest major step changes in history would include

Obviously sliced bread
The wheel
Alcohol
Gunpowder
Iron smelting
Steam
Electricity
Telephone
Internal combustion engine
Powered flight
Particle physics
www

There are others that I have missed out but they are all key events IMHO. Obviously many are connected but all a step change.

[Alexamateo]

I was just having a little nostalgic moment thinking back to when the Web was built.

Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea of interlinking hypertext in the early eighties but it wasn't until 1991 that he was authorised to build the first website at CERN on the technology he developed (ENQUIRE).

Has any invention, since the Nuclear bomb, done so much, so quickly, to change the planet.

The internet is a great backbone but the WWW is the content that really changes our lives.

From one website in 1991 to what we have now is staggering. It's strange to take a little trip back to pre-web days and try to remember what it was like.

Around '90 or '91, I was in college and my best friend worked up in the electrical engineering lab. I went up to visit him one night, and he said, "let me show you something, you can chat with people all over the world."

It's funny, I remember thinking at the time, "Who's paying for all this long distance?" I really didn't have a clue at the time as to what it all meant, but because of it now, I can work out of my house, and sell product in eight states. Meanwhile, I can check out motorsports forums and chat with people in umpteen different countries all for $44.95 a month. (and because of work, I get to expense that too! :p :) What a great invention! :up:

[EuroTroll]

Writing. Without it there'd be no civilization.

[Knock-on]

Yes, there was BBS before WWW:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system

"Bulletin board systems were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the World Wide Web and other aspects of the Internet. BBSes were a highly social phenomenon and were used for meeting people and having discussions in message boards as well as for publishing articles, downloading software, playing games and many more things using a single application."

It should be remembered that prior to 91, the Internet was seen as still predominantly the preserve for academia and defense.

The www blew the tits off it and opened it to the world.

What Tim was doing was to allow people to share and collaborate rather than just use commands and requests.

After all, this is just a bulletin board but how many of us would have found our way here if it was just a Bulletin board known to Mark and the friends he knows; without a google or a yahoo?

[luvracin]

I would argue that the Jet engine did not change the World as radically because we already had pretty capable prop craft.

A stop change is as Carl points out, an internal combustion engine. If it was a Jet engine then we would have had to go straight from the Montgolfier Bros to the Jet engine.

I suggest major step changes in history would include

Obviously sliced bread
The wheel
Alcohol
Gunpowder
Iron smelting
Steam
Electricity
Telephone
Internal combustion engine
Powered flight
Particle physics
www

There are others that I have missed out but they are all key events IMHO. Obviously many are connected but all a step change.

Don't forget Harnessing Fire.

[Erki]

The internal combustion engine.

ICE was invented before nuclear bomb. ;)

[schmenke]

...Has any invention, since the Nuclear bomb, done so much, so quickly, to change the planet...

Toilet paper :up:

[schmenke]

Writing. Without it there'd be no civilization.

Ancient Egypt was an impressive civilisation ;)

[EuroTroll]

Ancient Egypt was an impressive civilisation ;)

Undoubtedly. :) Any reason for this special mention? :confused:

[Knock-on]

Ancient Egypt was an impressive civilisation ;)

Didn't they use hieroglyphics?

As for Toilet Paper, I think the big revelation was "scrunch or fold".

That certainly changed my life for ever ;)

[EuroTroll]

Didn't they use hieroglyphics?

Yes, exactly. Alphabetic writing - though clearly the most practical in many ways - isn't the only option. As many East Asians would testify. :p :

[Knock-on]

Yes, exactly. Alphabetic writing - though clearly the most practical in many ways - isn't the only option. As many East Asians would testify. :p :

Well, a picture tells a thousand words so I suppose written language probably predates the wheel with cave paintings. We certainly understand their historical "writings" as to what constituted their hunts and the importance of the penis in their beliefs and hierarchy.


Looking forward, I wonder what the next major change will be.

Finding Higgs Bosun?
FTL Travel?
Organic or optical processing?
Sentient machines?

[edv]

You didn't need Google or Yahoo to filter and find groups on the old BBS systems. They were (and still are) more or less logically grouped. It is pretty easy to find the group for ****el Engines, for example, under rec.autos.rotary

I still use the old text based usenet for awesome binary content. It's a corner of the Internet that WWW users probably never heard of or knew about. But some of us old farts who used the Internet regularly back in the 1980s are keeping it alive and vital.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I am thinking Toilet paper deserves a higher rating....

The Web I think really is close to the greatest invention.....but I suspect if I really thought about it, the transistor is the greatest. Microsizing it to chips has allowed this revolution that has allowed so much. The Web is an outgrowth of the original invention, the transitor chip...

[Hondo]

I was just having a little nostalgic moment thinking back to when the Web was built.

Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea of interlinking hypertext in the early eighties but it wasn't until 1991 that he was authorised to build the first website at CERN on the technology he developed (ENQUIRE).

Has any invention, since the Nuclear bomb, done so much, so quickly, to change the planet.

I can remember doing the text only BBS's on my Commodore 64, ripping along on my 300bps modem.

As far as inventions go, I'd have guessed microwave popcorn.

[Erki]

I still don't understand why would anyone scrunch. :confused:

[Knock-on]

I still don't understand why would anyone scrunch. :confused:

I think it's mainly Ladies for some reason :confused:

Was just online with my bank and realised that I've had an account with them for longer than the www's been around.

This is getting funny. I'm getting old!!!

Mind you, I realised that last year when I was chatting to a local barmaid about Live Aid and I said "Do you remember U2 in the first one" and she replied she wasn't born.

How old did that make me feel :s hock:

[BDunnell]

That was massive but the Jut engine, regardless of whether it's the 39 or 41 trial, has just been a natural progression of the evolution of travel.

I was referring to its post-WW2 employment, which has been far more wide-ranging than anyone could have hoped during initial tests.

[schmenke]

Undoubtedly. :) Any reason for this special mention? :confused:

Hieroglyphics, as mentioned, is not a character-based alphabet, hence technically not "writing". It's merely a pictoral representation of events.
Sort of like a kid drawing a picture of someone peeing vs. saying "I gotta go potty." :D

[EuroTroll]

Hieroglyphics, as mentioned, is not a character-based alphabet, hence technically not "writing". It's merely a pictoral representation of events.
Sort of like a kid drawing a picture of someone peeing vs. saying "I gotta go potty." :D

You are very wrong, my good Sir. It is very much writing, as it can convey everything an alphabet-based writing system can, albeit in a somewhat less practical way.

Or do you think the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans illiterate? :s

[airshifter]

You didn't need Google or Yahoo to filter and find groups on the old BBS systems. They were (and still are) more or less logically grouped. It is pretty easy to find the group for ****el Engines, for example, under rec.autos.rotary

I still use the old text based usenet for awesome binary content. It's a corner of the Internet that WWW users probably never heard of or knew about. But some of us old farts who used the Internet regularly back in the 1980s are keeping it alive and vital.


Ah yes, I remember well the day when I took the plunge and spent $140 or so on a 14.4K modem, as my old modem had been overloaded by downloading my offline mail and user groups.

Once my time for downloading was reduced to 5 or 6 minutes per day I was thrilled! ;)

[Ian McC]

It could argued that the internet has just been a natural progression of the evolution of communication.

Also could be said it is the natural progression of the couch potatoe, the internet has it's downside, people are less active these days.

[Knock-on]

You are very wrong, my good Sir. It is very much writing, as it can convey everything an alphabet-based writing system can, albeit in a somewhat less practical way.

Or do you think the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans illiterate? :s

Sorry Schmenke but I agree. It doesn't matter what medium is used as long as it conveys the message.

It's like a book compared to the film adaptation I suppose. The book allows the mind to explore and wander where the film does even more but they both convey the essential message.

[Hondo]

Ah yes, I remember well the day when I took the plunge and spent $140 or so on a 14.4K modem, as my old modem had been overloaded by downloading my offline mail and user groups.

Once my time for downloading was reduced to 5 or 6 minutes per day I was thrilled! ;)

Not to mention the joyous sounds of a dot matrix printer buzzing and slamming away for half the night. Please don't jam...please don't jam...

[Dave B]

Just to throw in a quote from Scrubs:

I'm pretty sure that if they took all the porn from the internet you'd be left with just one site called "bring back the porn"!

:p

[Knock-on]

Not to mention the joyous sounds of a dot matrix printer buzzing and slamming away for half the night. Please don't jam...please don't jam...

What about trying to load Manic Miner onto a spectrum from a tape drive.

Bip, Bup, Bipipipipipipipip.

Eeeeeeeeeeee, Bip

Bulupppppp, bubuubububububububup.

(Ect x 15 minutes.)

.

.

.

.


Error

[Ian McC]

What about trying to load Manic Miner onto a spectrum from a tape drive.

Bip, Bup, Bipipipipipipipip.

Eeeeeeeeeeee, Bip

Bulupppppp, bubuubububububububup.

(Ect x 15 minutes.)

.

.

.

.


Error

Ugh, that brings back memories, trying to load Elite onto a C64, now that is something I don't miss!

[schmenke]

Sorry Schmenke but I agree. It doesn't matter what medium is used as long as it conveys the message.

It's like a book compared to the film adaptation I suppose. The book allows the mind to explore and wander where the film does even more but they both convey the essential message.

Yes, I see what you mean. I'm just trying to make the distinction between drawing pictures and using characters to string together text, i.e. writing. In pictoral form the "reader" must interpret pictures to decifer the meaning. Text allows the reader to, well, read without having to decipher. Am I making sense? :mark:

Hieroglyphics, Chinese and Japanese all use symbol-based "writing". Yes, the symbols can be printed to convey a message but, again, it is a pictoral representation, not "text".
Korean (Hangul) is text-based btw. In fact, Hangul was developed (in the 15th century?) to replace the older Chinese-based script because it was too difficult to "write" ;) .

I prefer the book ;) :D

(apologies for hijacking the thread... :uhoh: )

[BDunnell]

...the couch potatoe

Nice to see the spirit of Dan Quayle lives on.

[Hondo]

Ugh, that brings back memories, trying to load Elite onto a C64, now that is something I don't miss!

Elite was cool!

Elite would still be cool today. Ah, the old games where men were men and cheat codes didn't exist.

Skimming the sun for fuel, military lasers all around cocked and locked, cursing your luck "How did I know those containers held narcotics and slaves...?".

I was up many a night.

[Rollo]

Has any invention, since the Nuclear bomb, done so much, so quickly, to change the planet.


Yes, the transistor.

As the key active point in virtually the entire of modern electronics (through separate components, solid state, the PCB, even in miniature computer chips) I think it was without a doubt the single most important invention of the 20th century.

[Knock-on]

OK, the transistor is just as important but was it before or after the Atomic bomb?

Although patents for transistors were filed before 1945, the first working transistor was not claimed until 1947 so well done.

Now, what's your thoughts on future achievements?

[Hondo]

Did microwave popcorn even make the top 10?

[Knock-on]

Did microwave popcorn even make the top 10?


There seems to have been a great injustice. However, looks like the History books will always be flawed because of this miscarriage of reason.

[airshifter]

What about trying to load Manic Miner onto a spectrum from a tape drive.

Bip, Bup, Bipipipipipipipip.

Eeeeeeeeeeee, Bip

Bulupppppp, bubuubububububububup.

(Ect x 15 minutes.)

.

.

.

.


Error

This reminds me of doing system backups on floppy discs before tape drives with reasonable capacity were affordable. I think I had backup sets of over 100.

Of course that is only because when I purchased the system I opted for the larger hard drive that everyone claimed I would never fill.

80 megs :)

[Knock-on]

This reminds me of doing system backups on floppy discs before tape drives with reasonable capacity were affordable. I think I had backup sets of over 100.

Of course that is only because when I purchased the system I opted for the larger hard drive that everyone claimed I would never fill.

80 megs :)

Well, do you remember these:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Sinclair_ZX81.jpg/280px-Sinclair_ZX81.jpg

with one of these in the back.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Sinclair.zx.16k.rampack.jpg/180px-Sinclair.zx.16k.rampack.jpg

Even when you finally got a game to load in, it would crash the first time you played it when you pressed a key too hard and jogged the expansion pack.