How the Web was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web

by James Gillies, Robert Cailliau

In 1994, a computer program called the Mosaic browser transformed the Internet from an academic tool into a telecommunications revolution. Now a household name, the World Wide Web is a prominent fixture in the modern communications landscape, with tens of thousands of servers providing
information to millions of users. Few people, however, realize that the Web was born at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, and that it was invented by an Englishman, Tim Berners-Lee.
Offering its readers an unprecedented "insider's" perspective, this new book was co-written by two CERN employees--one of whom, Robert Cailliau, was among the Web's pioneers. It tells how the idea for the Web came about at CERN, how it was developed, and how it was eventually handed over at no
charge for the rest of the world to use. The first book-length account of the Web's development, How the Web was Born draws upon several interviews with the key players in this amazing story. This compelling and highly topical book is certain to interest all general readers with a taste for the Web
or the Internet, as well as students and teachers of computing, technology, and applied science.

Genres: History, Technology, Internet, Programming, Science, Nonfiction

372 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2000

Reviews

[John Orman · Rating 3 out of 5]

For being the "first book on the origins and development of the WWW, this is pretty dry documentation, by two CERN co-workers of Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the Web. The Web grew out of 1950's networking, and the Arpanet of the 1960's. UCLA, SRI, and finally CERN were the birthplaces of relevant innovation.
An exciting story, not engagingly told.

[Odd · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was difficult to ingest. Difficult to the point that I only managed to get halfway through the first chapter before putting it down and deciding to not pick it back up. This is not a fair review of its contents.

[Federico Kereki · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit dry...

[Greg Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

All those lego pieces didn't just fall out of he sky. Cailliau takes a look from Post-WW2 research to the mid 90s, and the rise of the world wide web. It's very interesting to see how the vision of a hypertext search of editable webpages was conceived so many years ago. As notes by Tim Berners- Lee, when he was talking to dive into computer science, it was amazing just how many parallel discoveries were being learned at this time.

From networking, databases, early browsers, the OSI model, Cailliau really captures the spirit and innovation of its time. Cailiau also does a solid job of showing how the democratic spirit and ideals helped early web take off without the hindrance of profit motives. The story of CERN and MIT sharing on the innovative project and the bold beginnings of a revolution that may still be going on, it's really quite a story.

Excellent historical book on the development of computer science. Makes you wonder what is coming around the corner.

[Ferhat Elmas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a must if you want to learn history of Web.