WWW: Past, Present, and Future
Tim Berners-Lee
Orange, Slovakia, 20 May 2010
MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)
World Wide Web Consortium
World Wide Web Foundation
(These slides:
http://www.w3.org/2010/Talks/0520-orange-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...
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
Image: J Zittrain
1991-4: Paradigm shift
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 you 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
2006: Web Science
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)
Social Networking
2008: Linked Data
Mashup
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 anyone everyone
The Other 80%
2009: World Wide Web Foundation
