What is the World Wide Web?

One simple definition of the WWW is:

The WWW is a Hypertext Information System

Hypertext browsing:

• Non-linear structure (not a book)
• You read what you want next
• Click on Hypertext links to navigate the WWW.

What is Hypertext?

Hypertext is a method of presenting information where selected words in the text can be expanded at any time to provide other information about the word

i.e these words are links to other documents which may be text, files, pictures, anything.

Links can be identified by highlighted (underlined) and coloured text

Hypertext Links (marked in blue and underline)

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the language used to create WWW pages and associated links (e.g. URLs which we have already met).

Many Lectures will be devoted to HTML programming shortly. Other features of the WWW include:

Graphical

-- by definition text, graphics and other media can coexist on Web page.

Easy to use

-- hypertext and good WW browsers are intuitive tools to use.

Cross-platform

-- One big advantage is that WWW (html pages etc) can run on almost any computer.

Distributed

-- Information and resources shared globally.

Dynamic

-- Information on the WWW can be constantly updated (unlike a book or CD-ROM). Live information can assimilated.

Interactive

-- through forms and other tools (e.g. Java) the WWW can be made interactive.