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History of the Web | Web Browser Engineering

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This chapter dives into the history of the web itself: where it came from, and how the web and browsers have evolved to date. This history is not exhaustive; For example, there is nothing much about SGML or other predecessors to HTML. (Except in this footnote!) the focus is the key events and ideas that led to the web, and the goals and motivations of its inventors. An influential early exploration of how computers might revolutionize information is a 1945 essay by Vannevar Bush entitled As We May Think. This essay envisioned a machine called a Memex that helps an individual human see and explore all the information in the world. It was described in terms of the microfilm screen technology of the time, but its purpose and concept has some clear similarities to the web as we know it today, even if the user interface and technology details differ. The web is at its core organized around the Memex-like goal of representing and displaying information, providing a way for humans to effecti

History of the Web | Web Browser Engineering Buy a copy » Web Browser Engineering is now available. Buy a copy » This chapter dives into the history of the web itself: where it came from, and how the web and browsers have evolved to date. This history is not exhaustive; For example, there is nothing much about Standard Generalized Markup Language ( SGML ) or other predecessors to HTML. (Except in this footnote!) the focus is the key events and ideas that led to the web, and the goals and motivations of its inventors. The Memex Concept Figure 1: The original publication of “As We May Think”. (

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