Networking & Internet
World Wide Web
Definition
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), which may be interlinked by hyperlinks, and are accessible over the Internet.
Why It Matters
The Web made the internet accessible and useful to ordinary people. It is the most prominent service on the internet, but not the only one.
Contextual Example
You are using the World Wide Web right now to view this web page in your web browser. You navigated here using a URL and are clicking on hyperlinks.
Common Misunderstandings
- The World Wide Web is not the same as the Internet. The Internet is the global network of computers. The Web is one of many services that runs on top of the Internet (others include email, FTP, etc.).
- Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989.