成人快手

What is the world wide web?

Many people think that the internet and the world wide web are the same thing.

While they are closely linked, they are very different things.

  • The internet is a global network of computers all connected together.
  • The world wide web (鈥榳ww鈥 or 鈥榳eb鈥 for short) is a collection of webpages found on this global network of computers. Your web browser uses the internet to access the world wide web.

So when you get home from school and ask to go on the internet, you should really say, "Can I look at some of the world wide web?"

Back to top

Watch: The difference between the internet and the world wide web

Back to top

How did the web begin?

Image caption,
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the world wide web

In 1989 the world wide web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee.

He was trying to find a new way for scientists to easily share the data from their experiments.

The web meant that computers connected to the internet could share this data.

For his services to the global development of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee was awarded a knighthood in 2004 and became Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Image caption,
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the world wide web
Back to top

How is information on the web viewed?

When you visit a webpage you use a piece of software called a web browser.

This web browser sends a request asking for webpages. It will then display the information when it has been received.

The first web browser was developed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Today there are lots of different web browsers.

What web browser are you using to view this webpage?

Back to top

How has the world wide web changed?

The web has changed a lot since it was first created.

The first websites were made up of simple pages of just words and pictures, a bit like online books or magazines.

Today, webpages contain lots of different types of content like videos, animations, quizzes and music.

There are webpages that allow people to share text, videos and photos without creating their own webpages.

This new type of web is known as Web 2.0. It allows even more people to share information on the world wide web.

Travel back in time

Would you like to see what the Bitesize website looked like in the year 2007?

Back to top

How will it continue to change?

When we first used the world wide web, we viewed information on screens connected to computers.

Today, you can still view the web in the same way but you can also use tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, games consoles and even smartwatches.

These devices can even alert or notify you when new information is shared with you on the web!

Back to top

Activities

Back to top

Computing - Dance Mat Typing. game

Build and test your computing skills with different levels of touch type challenges

Computing - Dance Mat Typing
Back to top

More on Computer science

Find out more by working through a topic