Reflection Post #1 – Web in its Infancy
Like many people today, I do take web access for granted and like many people I cannot imagine my life with it. My appreciation for the web has grown after reading the BBC online article, “Web in Infancy”, by Darren Waters. This article discusses the 15th anniversary of the Cern’s release of the web’s code into the public domain and the many positive changes that resulted from it. We often hear the negative effects of the web, but we must ask ourselves. Is it really that bad? The answer is clearing no. On the contrary the web has made this chaotic world a happier place. Thanks to the web, social networks have are constantly growing, thus making the world a smaller place. It’s hard to believe that this may not have been possible had it not been for Sir Tim Berner-Lee. According to this article, the physicists at the Cern were reluctant to release the web’s code, but after Berner-Lee’s continual efforts to have the web released, they accepted. Interestingly, once they accepted its release, they toyed with the idea of seeking royalties for its usage. Of course, as we all know, they decided it against it and made it free to the public. Prior to reading this article, I was unaware of the history of the web’s introduction into the public domain. Berner-Lee and Robert Cailliau, who also worked with Berner-Lee on the development of the web, were correct when they told the physicists at the Cern that the impact of the web would do a lot of good for the world. As the title of this article states, the web is indeed only in its infancy. There is still much more to be developed and discovered about the web and I can’t wait to see what happens next!