|
World Wide Web System Concepts and Components
(Page 1 of 3)
Hypertext
is the main concept that makes the World Wide Web more than just another
message transfer system. However, the idea behind hypertext had been
around for decades before the Web was born, as had certain software
products based on that idea. Obviously, more than just a concept is
needed for an idea to be developed into a successful system.
The Web became a phenomenon because
it combined the basic idea of hypertext with several other concepts
and technologies, to create a rich, comprehensive mechanism for interactive
communication. This system today encompasses so many different concepts
and software elements, and is so integrated with other technologies,
that it's hard to find any two people who agree on what exactly comprises
the Web, and which are most critical parts.
For example, one of the keys to the
success of the World Wide Web is undeniably the combination of the TCP/IP
internetworking protocol suite and the
Internet infrastructure that connects together the computers of the
world. Is the Internet then an essential component of the World Wide
Web? In many ways it is; and in fact, due to how popular the Web is
today, it is common to hear people call the Web “the Internet”.
The functional components of the
World Wide Web are illustrated in Figure 314.
Let’s take a look at them in a bit more detail now.
|
