Re: boundaries for the Web

"Simon St.Laurent" wrote:
> 
>...
> 
> That's hardly a boundary - it lets anything using URIs in, which can be
> pretty nearly _anything_.

But that has *always* been the point. All information in the same
address space, with links between information objects.

> So what is the Web?
> 
> Conservatively, I'd suggest that:
> The Web is a hypertext-based system built around the Hypertext Transfer
> Protocol which uses a combination of marked-up information and software
> to convey information to people.

I'd take out the reference to HTTP, because FTP (for example) is also a
Web protocol and something may some day replace HTTP. And I'd take out
the reference to delivering information "to people" because I think it
is not a good idea to segment the problem domain in that way. Ideally,
the computer-automated and human-driven ways of accomplishing particular
tasks would be architecturally identical. So I can download a site one
page at a time or I can direct my computer to download the whole site. I
can submit a purchase order through a web page or I can direct my
computer to submit one directly from accounting software. And so
forth...

 Paul Prescod

Received on Friday, 22 March 2002 12:11:19 UTC