WWW and Hopes for the Future

Saudi Arabia, 2011-02-22

MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
World Wide Web Foundation

(These slides:
http://www.w3.org/2011/Talks/0222-saudi-tbl/ )

This talk

Remember back before the Web?
The fundamental change: Universality
Web Science
Linked Data
The other 80%

Pre-Web

now difficult to explain what it was like!

Documentation systems do not work together
Attempts to unify fail from imposing too much
Difficult to explain what WWW will be like

Pre-web at CERN

Need to bridge

People from all over the world
Different sorts of information
Different organizations

> ENQUIRE
Enquire V 1.1

Hello!
Opening file (PSK-PCP)VAC-V1:ENQR...

PSB Vacuum Control System                    (concept)  <   O>
--- ------ ------- ------

 [ 1] described-by: Enquiry System
      An experimental system for which this is a test.

 [ 2] includes: Vacuum History System
      Records and displays slow changes in pressure.

 [ 3] includes: Vacuum equipment modules
      Perform all the hardware interface

 [ 4] includes: Control and status applications programs
      Provide operator interaction from the consoles.

 [ 5] described-by: Controle du System a Vide du Booster 11-2-80
      Operational specification of the software

 [ 6] includes: PSB Pump Surveillance System         PCP 228
      Allows rapid monitoring of pressure changes

[number      ]

Solution

Make minimum requirements of adopters
Abstract space includes all conceivable systems
Universal space

1989: Web memo

Circles and arrows again...

Circles and arrows diagram

1990: WWW design

URI is global identifier, having one is good
URI schemes have different properties
- HTTP scheme allows publish and lookup
- HTTP allows many data formats
  - HTML is a language for hypertext
  - .. but links not typed.

Universality of the Web

Technology which is independent of:

Hardware platform
Software platform - OS
Application Software
Network access
Language and culture
Disability
Documents for people -- or Data for machines
The number of web pages

Access for Anybody

Layers: Separate Markets

Layers: The IP Hourglass

1991-4: Paradigm shift

Increase of 10x every year

1994: World Wide Web Consortium

good + fair + fast

Industry and academic and public participation
Wide review
Implementation Interoperability requirements
Coordination between groups
Internationalization, Accessibility
Royalty free standards -> safe, wide adoption
Many activities, check w3.org
Join!

Leading the web to its full potential

Care and use of the WWW

URIs should be persistent - don't change them!
Make sure your site is accessible
Insist on open standards

Spirit of Web design

has been the best part

Diversity of participants
Openness
Royalty-free foundation => Wide adoption
Sense of excitement, unbounded opportunity

The process of web science

Promoting Web Science

Analysis and Synthesis
Promote Research
New curriculum
2006: Web Science Research Initiative
2009: Web Science Trust

webscience.org

(Web Science talk)

2009: Raw Data Now

Tue 17:59	Blog "Pedalling some raw data"	Paul Clarke, direct.gov.uk
Wed 12:57	Zipped CSV file	Paul Battley
Wed 13:26	KML file	Tom Taylor
Wed 21:51	Online Map	Julian Burgess, timesonline