A British physicist's frustration with varied data formats and computers coming to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) laboratory in Switzerland from different countries in 1989 launched a revolution that today's generation takes for granted. Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1990 and published the first website on August 6, 1991 with the address http://info.cern.ch, giving shape to a single information network. A common hypertext language, interconnectivity, and the sea of data it has created in two decades are testimony to its profound impact. With nothing more than access to the Internet and a web browser, users effortlessly navigate the online world using hyperlinks. Thanks to the standardised web, they do this without having to master the more complicated Internet technologies in use a generation ago. In many countries, the www has unarguably democratised information. What is even more significant is that today it enables every individual to become a creator of content, and to publish it. The user ‘pulls' materials of choice from websites in contrast to the passive consumer of yesterday, who received content ‘pushed' by television. Sir Tim's invention swept the planet because of his laudable decision not to patent it.
As the public web enters its next decade, its immense potential for good stands out. Going forward, though, it should place in the public domain the thousands of terabytes of data held by governments and institutions. This will help researchers, scientists, economists and other social scientists, to come up with better solutions to problems. Such data have already been paid for by citizens, and by adopting an open, linked approach to their dissemination, low-cost answers to issues can be found. No one has reinforced this thought more vocally than the inventor himself. Tim Berners-Lee forcefully advocates the publication of vast amounts of data that can be both open and linked, to aid decision-making. These can, for instance, pertain to government, enterprise, science, meteorology, and events. Moreover, this is an activity to which the ordinary citizen can contribute his or her bit. The only factor that stands in the way of this transformation is the secretive attitude of established power structures, including opaque government. Let us also recall the advice given by Berners-Lee against doing away with net-neutrality, the system under which all data on the Internet, including web traffic, are treated equally. Privileging one set of high-paying users by giving priority to their data can only create disparities. The power of good is intrinsic to the free web, now an energetic 20, and to the Internet in general.
Keywords: World Wide Web, CERN, invention of Internet
Thanks to The Hindu. The whole generation of today and the posterity as well owe (n+1) thanks to the Britih Physicist Sir Tim Berner-Lee for his great contribution WWW to the man kind. Let the future refiners of WWW be guided by the self less spiriy shown by the great inventor.
Necessity is the mother or all the inventions. And, how critical this invention turned out to be? Sitting in other side of the world, I can read this article and give my comment as well. That summarizes the extend of the benefit and usability of Sir Tim Berner-Lee's invention. Laud his effort in retaining it open. Salute !!
Jay Ravi wrote that government suppressed the deposition given by Nathuram Godse.I think he is wrong.Though Government did not published his last statement but his blind followers published - it it is available all over the India.I agree Internet is greatest revolution after Gutenberg `s printing press revolution. When any new technology came insociety there are people who used them for wrong purpose but it is part of life we must sustain it.
An excellent tribute is your editorial to Tim Berner-Lee, who did not bother to patent his revolutionising invention. These days battles are waged to procure patent. That tendency uncovers the meanness of the inventer to grab praise and pelf. But Sir Tim dedicated his invention to the benefit of mankind and that makes him really great. His invention converts conventional pundits to semiliterates. It is unfortunate that many governments take a negative stand towards the www phenomenon that is sure to enwrap the globe and is likely to make it a toy ball in the hands of the coming generation: a new brave invention indeed!
The Large Hadron Collider scientific experiment cum exercise by CERN has been going on for a couple of years now on the France-Switzerland border and Indian scientists are part of this phenomenal activity. However, the original script of the Higgs-Boson papers between Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose and his British counterpart Peter Higgs should be published in full even as CERN carries on with its targeted aim of reproducing the Big Bang theory on the ground.
I am surprised to know that the WWW was 20 years old. How fast the innovation has created lot of further innovations which are most usable to everybody. Almost every person using this for some or other application. Really astonishing. Could you bring a detailed article in your coming editions whcih certainly help the students and youth to enrich their knowledge. It will be appropriate to have a phot of Mr. Tim in the article.
You are right in saying..."The only factor that stands in the way of this transformation is the secretive attitude of established power structures, including opaque government". Two documents, suppressed for too long, come to mind -- these should be made accessible without delay. One is the Henderson-Brooks report on the 1962 India-China war, and the other is the deposition given by Nathuram Godse. These have been successfully suppressed to ensure that actions (and non-actions) of certain individuals, political parties and dynasties are never probed into.
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