Path: gmdzi!unido!mcsun!cernvax!info.cern.ch From: timbl@info.cern.ch (Tim Berners-Lee) Newsgroups: comp.mail.multi-media,comp.text.sgml Subject: WorldWideWeb: Wide Area Hypertext/Information Retrieval Keywords: source hypertext information retrieval wide area browser editor Message-ID: <6692@cernvax.cern.ch> Date: 22 Aug 91 10:56:53 GMT Sender: news@cernvax.cern.ch Lines: 103 Xref: gmdzi comp.mail.multi-media:438 comp.text.sgml:334 [This information was previously posted to and to , but popular request prompts this cross-posting.] The WorldWideWeb project is a practical project to provide wide-area hypertext and index-based information access. The sources are available with no warranty of any kind, though copyright is held by CERN and commercial organizations should check for terms. A general summary of the project follows. WorldWideWeb - Executive Summary The WWW project merges the techniques of information retrieval and hypertext to make an easy but powerful global information system. The project started with the philosophy that much academic information should be freely available to anyone. It aims to allow information sharing within internationally dispersed teams, and the dissemination of information by support groups. Reader view The WWW world consists of documents, and links. Indexes are special documents which, rather than being read, may be searched. The result of such a search is another ("virtual") document containing links to the documents found. A simple protocol ("HTTP") is used to allow a browser program to request a keyword search by a remote information server. The web contains documents in many formats. Those documents which are hypertext, (real or virtual) contain links to other documents, or places within documents. All documents, whether real, virtual or indexes, look similar to the reader and are contained within the same addressing scheme. To follow a link, a reader clicks with a mouse (or types in a number if he or she has no mouse). To search and index, a reader gives keywords (or other search criteria). These are the only operations necessary to access the entire world of data. Information provider view The WWW browsers can access many existing data systems via existing protocols (FTP, NNTP) or via HTTP and a gateway. In this way, the critical mass of data is quickly exceeded, and the increasing use of the system by readers and information suppliers encourage each other. Making a web is as simple as writing a few SGML files which point to your existing data. Making it public involves running the FTP or HTTP daemon, and making at least one link into your web from another. In fact, any file available by anonymous FTP can be immediately linked into a web. The very small start-up effort is designed to allow small contributions. At the other end of the scale, large information providers may provide an HTTP server with full text or keyword indexing. The WWW model gets over the frustrating incompatibilities of data format between suppliers and reader by allowing negotiation of format between a smart browser and a smart server. This should provide a basis for extension into multimedia, and allow those who share application standards to make full use of them across the web. (Format negotiation is not included in the current programs). This summary does not describe the many exciting possibilities opened up by the WWW project, such as efficient document caching. the reduction of redundant out-of-date copies, and the use of knowledge daemons. There is more information in the online project documentation, including some background on hypertext and many technical notes on the HTML format, for example. Try it A prototype simple portable line mode browser is currently available in source form from node info.cern.ch. [currently 128.141.201.74] as /pub/WWWLineMode_0.11a.tar.Z. Also available is a prototype hypertext browser/editor for the NeXT using the NeXTStep graphical user interface, /pub/WWWNeXTStepEditor_0.12.tar.Z To make your own data available, an anonymous FTP server is sufficient. Alternatively, a skeleton HTTP server program is available, which serves files but can be massaged to convert your data into hypertext. The file is /pub/WWWDaemon_0.1.tar.Z Check whether later versions of these files are available, and if so take those. Documentation is readable using www. Plain text of the installation instructions is included in the tar file. Basic documentation is included, but this has links to our server for deeper details. We are of course interested to hear from anyone who publishes data, or who is interested in writing further browsers or servers, or who has bug reports or suggestions. _________________________________________________________________ Tim Berners-Lee Tel: +41(22)767 3755 WorldWideWeb project Fax: +41(22)767 7155 C.E.R.N. email: tbl@cernvax.cern.ch 1211 Geneva 23 Switzerland