The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a global matrix (web) of
interconnected documents on the Internet. Clicking on a
cross-reference in one of these documents displays the
referenced document, even though it might be located on a
computer half-way around the world. This is possible because
all systems connected to the World Wide Web use a common
communication protocol, HTTP (Hypertext
Transfer Protocol), to send and receive documents,
and because all Web documents use the same method,
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language),
to define document formatting. Consult the
Netscape home page at http://www.netscape.com
for information on creating
web pages and HTML documents.
A collection of documents from one organization or individual on the Web is called a ``Web site'' (typically on a single system, although a large site can be supported by multiple systems or several sites could be located on one system). A Web site publishes these documents with software called a ``Web server'', and they are viewed with a ``Web browser''. Documents are typically divided into a number of short Web pages for convenient viewing. The top-level page at a site is referred to as a ``home page''. Web activity is not limited to viewing pages: data can be exchanged by the server and browser and manipulated by either or passed on to other software. This makes it possible to run programs, conduct business, and manage remote computer systems over the Web.
Although the Internet has existed for some time, the introduction
of the World Wide Web caused an explosive growth in its
use. Prior to the Web, navigating the Internet required typing
complicated paths and searching newsgroups for largely
unformatted text. Moving about on the Web is a simple matter
of clicking on interesting references. Searching the World Wide Web
for information is also simple, and the support for graphics, sound,
and motion makes the results of the search more rewarding. Encryption
and other security features have made it possible to buy and sell
services and products online. Increasingly, a presence on the
Web is as much a part of doing business as being connected to
the global telephone or e-mail networks.