[ we make science jokes, periodically ]

The Web Unraveled: Navigating the World Wide Wonder

The World Wide Web (WWW), often referred to simply as the web, is a system of interlinked hypertext documents and multimedia content that is accessed via the internet using web browsers. It was created by British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in the late 1980s and introduced to the public in 1991. The World Wide Web is one of the primary services on the internet, alongside other services like email, file transfer (FTP), and online gaming.

Crucial Elements of the World Wide Web

Hypertext
The fundamental concept of the web is hypertext, which consists of text containing links (hyperlinks) to other documents, web pages, or resources. These links allow users to navigate between different web pages and resources.

Uniform Resource Locators aka URLs
Web content is identified and located using URLs, which are web addresses that specify the protocol (e.g., HTTP or HTTPS), the domain name or IP address, and the path to a specific resource on a web server.

Web Browsers
Web browsers are software applications that allow users to retrieve and view web content. Popular web browsers include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.

Web Servers
Web servers are computers or software that host web content and serve it to users upon request. When you enter a URL in your web browser, the browser sends a request to the corresponding web server to retrieve the web page.

HyperText Transfer Protocol akaย HTTP
HTTP is the protocol used for transmitting web pages and other resources over the internet. It defines how web browsers and web servers communicate.

HTML aka Hypertext Markup Language
Web pages are typically created using HTML, a markup language that structures the content and includes elements for text, images, links, and more.

Web Development
Creating and maintaining websites and web applications involves web development, which includes programming languages like JavaScript, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and backend technologies like PHP, Python, and databases.

The World Wide Web has transformed the way people access and share information, conduct business, communicate, and collaborate globally. It has become an integral part of modern life and has given rise to countless websites, online services, and applications, making the internet a vast and interconnected repository of knowledge and resources.