Editing World Wide Web (section)

{{Short description|Linked hypertext system on the Internet}}
{{About|the global system of pages accessed via HTTP|the worldwide computer network|Internet|the web browser|WorldWideWeb}}
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{{Redirect-multi|2|WWW|The Web}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox technology standard
| title = World Wide Web
| long_name = 
| image = File:World_Wide_Web_Logo.png
| caption = Popular unofficial globe logo of the WWW
| abbreviation = WWW
| year_started = {{Start date and age|1989|df=y}}&nbsp;by [[Tim Berners-Lee]]
| first_published = {{Start date and age|1993|df=y}}&nbsp;by Tim Berners-Lee
| version = Web 3.0.
| version_date = 2006
| organization = {{Plain list|
* [[CERN]] (1989–1994)
* [[W3C]] (1994–current)
}}
| editors = Everyone
| authors = Tim Berners Lee
}}
[[File:Chrome on Linux.png|thumb|260px|A [[web page]] from [[Wikipedia]] displayed in [[Google Chrome]]]]
The '''World Wide Web''' ('''WWW''' or simply '''the Web'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Wide Web - MDN Web Docs Glossary: Definitions of Web-related terms {{!}} MDN |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/World_Wide_Web |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=developer.mozilla.org |language=en-US}}</ref>) is an [[information system]] that enables [[Content (media)|content]] sharing over the [[Internet]] through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond [[Information technology|IT]] specialists and hobbyists.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Desk Encyclopedia of World History |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7394-7809-7 |editor-last=Wright |editor-first=Edmund |location=New York |pages=312}}</ref> It allows documents and other [[web resource]]s to be accessed over the Internet according to specific rules of the [[HTTP|Hypertext Transfer Protocol]] (HTTP).<ref name="webinternet">{{cite web |date=2009 |title=What is the difference between the Web and the Internet? |url=http://www.w3.org/Help/#webinternet |access-date=16 July 2015 |website=W3C Help and FAQ |publisher=[[W3C]] |archive-date=9 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709004648/http://www.w3.org/Help/#webinternet |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Web was invented by English computer scientist [[Tim Berners-Lee]] while at [[CERN]] in 1989 and opened to the public in 1993. It was conceived as a "universal linked information system".<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Wide Web (WWW) launches in the public domain {{!}} April 30, 1993 |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/world-wide-web-launches-in-public-domain |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=HISTORY |date=30 March 2020 |language=en |archive-date=6 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206200329/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/world-wide-web-launches-in-public-domain |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TBL Web Proposal">{{cite web |last1=Berners-Lee |first1=Tim |title=Information Management: A Proposal |url=https://www.w3.org/History/1989/proposal.html |access-date=12 February 2022 |website=w3.org |publisher=The World Wide Web Consortium |archive-date=1 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401051011/https://www.w3.org/History/1989/proposal.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-30 |title=The World's First Web Site |url=https://www.history.com/news/the-worlds-first-web-site |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=HISTORY |language=en |archive-date=19 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819131610/https://www.history.com/news/the-worlds-first-web-site |url-status=live }}</ref> Documents and other media content are made available to the network through [[web server]]s and can be accessed by programs such as [[web browser]]s. Servers and resources on the World Wide Web are identified and located through character strings called [[uniform resource locator]]s (URLs).

The original and still very common document type is a [[web page]] formatted in [[Hypertext Markup Language]] (HTML). This markup language supports [[plain text]], [[digital image|images]], embedded [[video]] and [[audio signal|audio]] contents, and [[scripting language|scripts]] (short programs) that implement complex user interaction. The HTML language also supports [[hyperlink]]s (embedded URLs) which provide immediate access to other web resources. [[Web navigation]], or web surfing, is the common practice of following such hyperlinks across multiple websites. [[Web application]]s are web pages that function as [[application software]]. The information in the Web is transferred across the Internet using HTTP. Multiple web resources with a common theme and usually a common [[domain name]] make up a [[website]]. A single web server may provide multiple websites, while some websites, especially the most popular ones, may be provided by multiple servers. Website content is provided by a myriad of companies, organizations, government agencies, and [[User-generated content|individual users]]; and comprises an enormous amount of educational, entertainment, commercial, and government information.

The Web has become the world's dominant [[Web platform|information systems platform]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bleigh |first1=Michael |title=The Once And Future Web Platform |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/the-once-and-future-web-platform/ |access-date=9 March 2022 |publisher=TechCrunch |date=16 May 2014 |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205122820/https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/the-once-and-future-web-platform/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=11 March 2014 |title=''World Wide Web Timeline'' |url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/world-wide-web-timeline/ |access-date=1 August 2015 |publisher=Pews Research Center |archive-date=29 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729162322/http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/world-wide-web-timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dewey |first=Caitlin |date=12 March 2014 |title=''36 Ways The Web Has Changed Us'' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style-blog/wp/2014/03/12/36-ways-the-web-has-changed-us/ |access-date=1 August 2015 |archive-date=9 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909195224/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style-blog/wp/2014/03/12/36-ways-the-web-has-changed-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="internetlivestats"/> It is the primary tool that billions of people worldwide use to interact with the Internet.<ref name="webinternet"/>