Introduction to WWW

Meaning of WWW

WWW is an acronym that stands for World Wide Web.

Definition of WWW

i. WWW is part of the internet that contains linked texts, images, sound, and video documents.
ii. It is also defined as an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by URLs, interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet.

Brief History of WWW

In 1989, London-born Timothy Berners-Lee came up with the idea of the web as a way to share files with others. The idea for the web came while Berners-Lee was working for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Scientists by trade, Berners-Lee and others inside CERN were looking for ways to transmit information to each other electronically. To do so, they created a set of tools including a language (HTML), a browser and other utilities which allowed them to establish communication. The first web browser was invented in 1990 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. His browser was called WorldWideWeb and later renamed Nexus. Many others were soon developed, with Marc Andreessen's 1993 Mosaic (later called Netscape). Today, the major web browsers are Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Edge.

History of Internet and WWW in Nigeria

The internet was first introduced in Nigeria in the year 1995. It was in reality a project work by RINAF (Regional Information Society Network for Africa). It was backed up financially by UNESCO. Several workshops were organised to educate the Nigerian populace. The first test running was conducted at Obafemi Awolowo University in 1995. By the late 1990's the ''internet '' became a known term among the citizens of Nigeria.

Basic Terminologies of WWW

i. Websites: A collection of related web pages
ii. Webpage: A webpage is a document or information resource on the World Wide Web which can be accessed using a web browser.
iii. Web servers: web servers are computers that store and disseminate web pages
iv. Web Browser: A web browser (commonly referred to as a browser) is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing (moving through) information resources on the World Wide
v. Web address: A web address, also known as a URL (uniform resource locator), is an Internet or intranet name that points to a location where a file, directory or website page is hosted.
vi. Hyperlink: A link from a hypertext file or document to another location or file, typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image on the screen.
vii. Homepage (Main page): The introductory page of a website, typically serving as a table of contents for the site.
viii. Internet Protocol: The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet or other network.

Internet Protocols

The two general protocols of WWW are:
1. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the set of rules for transferring files ( text, graphic images sound, video and other multimedia files) on the world wide web.
2. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a computer language used to build web pages.
Other protocols Include:
a. TCP: Transmission Control Protocol
b. UDP: User Datagram Protocol
c. SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
d. FTP: File Transfer Protocol
e. POP: Post Office Protocol
f. ICMP: Internet Control Protocol

Benefits of WWW

1. Availability of mainly free information
2. Facilitates rapid and interactive communication
3. It is accessible from anywhere
4. Facilitates the exchange of huge volumes of data

Software for Website Development

These are software that can be used to build webpages. They include:
1. FrontPage: A computer program from Microsoft for windows and Mac for creating websites and web pages.
2. Adobe Dream Weaver: An application used by web designers and developers to create websites and applications for use across multiple targets
3. Web plus X4
4. Chrome DevTools
5. WordPress
6. Sublime Text 2.
7. Virtual Studio Code also known as VS Code
8. Notepad