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Introduction
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Sir Timothy ''Tim'' John Berners-Lee, KBE, FRS (TimBL or TBL)
(born June 8, 1955 in London) is the inventor of the World Wide Tim Burton`s Corpse Bride
Web and director of the World Wide Web Consortium, which (Widescreen Edition)
Introduction
oversees its continued development.

Contents: [Introduction] [Background and early career] [World Wide Web] [Weaving the
Background and early
career Web] [Recognition] [Current life] [Works] [Notes] [References] [External links]

World Wide Web

pictures and wallpaper


Weaving the Web
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Recognition
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Notes

References

External links

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celebrities
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music
people
sport Background and early career
art
cartoons Click for full details of this item.
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Berners-Lee was born in London, England, the son of Conway Large cover image, price,
pop culture Berners-Lee and Mary Lee Woods. His parents, who were both contents, reviews, etc.
mathematicians, were employed together on the team that built Price new: $7.95 (as at:
the Manchester Mark I, one of the earliest computers. They 01-06-2006)
in this category Price used: $4.94 (as at:
taught Berners-Lee to use mathematics everywhere, even at
01-06-2006)
Martin Tyler
the dinner table. Berners-Lee attended Sheen Mount Primary
Edmund Hillary School (which has dedicated a new hall in his honour) before The Lion King (1997 Original
Brian Orser moving on to Emanuel School in Wandsworth. He is an Broadway Cast)
Margaret Sanger
alumnus of Queen`s College, Oxford University, where he built
Eleanor Roosevelt
Louis Armstrong a computer with a soldering iron, TTL gates, an M6800
Red Barber processor and an old television. While at Oxford, he was caught
Barry Davies hacking with a friend and was subsequently banned from using
Francis Crick
Lech Wałęsa the university computer.
Lech Wałęsa
John Alexander OAM
Walter Reuther He worked at Plessey Telecommunications Limited in 1976 as
Heather Mills McCartney a programmer, and in 1978, he worked at D.G. Nash Limited
Pete Rozelle
Ray Kroc
where he wrote typesetting software and an operating system.
Sean McDonough
Stephanie Sparks
Mao Zedong Click for full details of this item.
Le Corbusier World Wide Web Large cover image, price,
Philo Farnsworth contents, reviews, etc.
Frank Sinatra as used by Berners-Lee at CERN and became the first Web Price new: $9.84 (as at:
Anne Frank 01-06-2006)
Jon Champion
server.
In 1980, while an independent contractor at CERN from June to Price used: $9.19 (as at:
Kennedy political family
01-06-2006)
Mother Teresa December 1980, Berners-Lee proposed a project based on the
Edwin Hubble
concept of hypertext, to facilitate sharing and updating Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Joe Orton
Ronald Reagan information among researchers. With help from Robert Cailliau
Margaret Thatcher he built a prototype system named ENQUIRE.
Mikhail Gorbachev
After leaving CERN in 1980 to work at John Poole`s Image
Computer Systems Ltd., he returned in 1984 as a fellow. In
1989, CERN was the largest Internet node in Europe, and
Berners-Lee saw an opportunity to join hypertext with the
Internet: ``I just had to take the hypertext idea and connect it to
the TCP and DNS ideas and — ta-da! — the World Wide
Web.`` . He used similar ideas to those underlying the Enquire
system to create the World Wide Web, for which he designed
and built the first web browser and editor (called Click for full details of this item.
Large cover image, price,
WorldWideWeb and developed on NeXTSTEP) and the first
contents, reviews, etc.
Web server called httpd (short for HyperText Transfer Protocol Price new: $8.99 (as at:
daemon). 01-06-2006)
Price used: $9.22 (as at:
The first Web site built was at http://info.cern.ch/ and was first 01-06-2006)
put online on August 6, 1991. It provided an explanation about
what the World Wide Web was, how one could own a browser Saw II (Widescreen Edition)
and how to set up a Web server. It was also the world`s first
Web directory, since Berners-Lee maintained a list of other
Web sites apart from his own.

In 1994, Berners-Lee founded the World Wide Web Consortium


(W3C) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It
comprised various companies willing to create standards and
recommendations to improve the quality of the Internet. Many
of the World Wide Web Consortium`s achievements are able to
be seen in many Web sites on the Internet. In 1996, in
conjunction with Håkon Wium Lie, the W3C announced a
standard entitled Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). It was not until
2000 and 2001 that popular browsers began to support this
standard, which shows Berners-Lee`s first goal to maintain the
freedom of the Web. In December 2004 he accepted a chair in Click for full details of this item.
Computer Science at the School of Electronics and Computer Large cover image, price,
Science, University of Southampton, UK. He will be working contents, reviews, etc.
closely with the University on the Semantic Web — his new Price new: $7.95 (as at:
project. To this day, Tim Berners-Lee maintains a low profile, 01-06-2006)
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not intent on gaining popular status. 01-06-2006)

In 1999, Berners-Lee commented on the NeXT Computer on Greatest Hits, Vol. 2


which he ran the first Web server and created the first web
browser and editor: ``The NeXT interface was beautiful,
smooth, and consistent. It had great flexibility, and other
features that would not be seen on PCs till later, such as voice
e-mail, and a built-in synthesizer. it also had software to create
a hypertext program. Its failure to take over the industry,
despite all these advantages, became for me a cautionary tale.
NeXT required users to accept all these innovations at once –
too much.``

While the component ideas of the World Wide Web are still
simple, Berners-Lee`s insight was to combine them in a way Click for full details of this item.
Large cover image, price,
While the component ideas of the World Wide Web are still
simple, Berners-Lee`s insight was to combine them in a way Click for full details of this item.
Large cover image, price,
which is still discovering its full potential. Perhaps his greatest
contents, reviews, etc.
single contribution, though, was to make his idea available Price new: $8.99 (as at:
freely, with no patent and no royalties due. The World Wide 01-06-2006)
Web Consortium decided that their standards must be based Price used: $9.22 (as at:
on royalty-free technology, so they can be easily adopted by 01-06-2006)
anyone.
Star Trek Fan Collective -
Sir Tim Berners-Lee`s genius is not confined to, or prejudiced Borg
by, computer technology. In a 2005 interview with BBC
Television, he made a statement which shows his opinion of the
reach of the internet as an informational resource.

:``Even the clearest, cleverest and most comprehensive


website can not hope to equal the wealth of information
contained in a good reference book. The internet is most
definitely not a substitute for a well-stocked public library``.

Weaving the Web


In Berners-Lee`s book Weaving the Web, several recurring
themes are apparent:
>> It is just as important to be able to edit the Web as browse it. Click for full details of this item.
(Wiki is a step in this direction, although Berners-Lee considers Large cover image, price,
it merely a shadow of the WYSIWYG functionality of his first contents, reviews, etc.
browser.) Price new: $28.89 (as at:
>> Computers can be used for background tasks that enable 01-06-2006)
Price used: $22.25 (as at:
humans to work better in groups. 01-06-2006)
>> Every aspect of the Internet should function as a Web,
rather than a hierarchy. Notable current exceptions are the Pink Floyd - Pulse
Domain Name System and the domain naming rules managed
by ICANN.
>> Computer scientists have a moral responsibility as well as a
technical responsibility.

Recognition
The University of Southampton was the first to recognise
Berners-Lee`s contribution to developing the World Wide Web
with an honorary degree in 1996 and he currently holds a Chair
of Computer Science in the School of Electronics and
Computer Science. He was the first holder of the 3Com
Founders Chair at MIT, and is also now a Senior Research
Scientist there. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the British Click for full details of this item.
Computer Society, an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Large cover image, price,
contents, reviews, etc.
Electrical Engineers, and a member of the American Academy
Price new: $16.24 (as at:
of Arts and Sciences. 01-06-2006)
(as at: 01-06-2006)
In 1997 he was made an Officer in the Order of the British
Empire, became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2001, and The Notebook (New Line
received the Japan Prize in 2002. In 2002 he received the Platinum Series)
Principe de Asturias award in the category of Scientific and
Technical Research. He shared the prize with Lawrence
Roberts, Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf. Also in 2002, the British
public named him among the 100 Greatest Britons of all time,
according to a BBC poll spanning the entire history of the
nation.

On April 15, 2004 he was named as the first recipient of


Finland`s Millennium Technology Prize for inventing the World
Wide Web. The cash prize, worth one million euros (about
£663,000 or USD$1.2 million), was awarded on June 15, in
Helsinki, Finland by President of the Republic of Finland, Tarja
Halonen. He was given the rank of Knight Commander (the
£663,000 or USD$1.2 million), was awarded on June 15, in
Helsinki, Finland by President of the Republic of Finland, Tarja
Halonen. He was given the rank of Knight Commander (the
second-highest rank in the Order of the British Empire) by
Queen Elizabeth II as part of the New Year`s Honours on July
16, 2004. Click for full details of this item.
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contents, reviews, etc.
On July 21, 2004 he was presented with the degree of Doctor of
Price new: $11.31 (as at:
Science (honoris causa) from Lancaster University. 31-05-2006)
On January 27, 2005 he was named Greatest Briton of 2004 for Price used: $7.99 (as at:
his achievements as well as displaying the key English 31-05-2006)
characteristics of ``diffidence, determination, a sharp sense of
humour and adaptability`` as put by David Hempleman-Adams, That `70s Show - Season 4
a panel member. Time Magazine included Berners-Lee in its list
of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, published
in 1999.

In the novel ``Angels and Demons`` by Dan Brown, the title


character Robert Langdon visits CERN and sees a plaque that
credits Tim Berners-Lee for inventing the WEB.

Current life
In 2001, he became a patron of the East Dorset Heritage Trust
having previously lived in Colehill in Wimborne, East Dorset,
England. Click for full details of this item.
Large cover image, price,
He is now living in Lexington, Massachusetts (USA) with his contents, reviews, etc.
wife and two children. Price new: $29.46 (as at:
31-05-2006)
Price used: $29.00 (as at:
31-05-2006)
Works
Prices as at 31-05-2006.
>>

Notes

References
>> Tim Berners-Lee and the Development of the World Wide
Web (Unlocking the Secrets of Science) Ann Gaines (Mitchell
Lane Publishers, 2001) ISBN 1584150963
>> Tim Berners-Lee: Inventor of the World Wide Web
(Ferguson`s Career Biographies) Melissa Stewart (Ferguson
Publishing Company, 2001) ISBN 089434367X children`s
biography
>> How the Web was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web
Robert Cailliau, James Gillies, R. Cailliau (Oxford University
Press, 2000) ISBN 0192862073
>> Sir Tim Berners-Lee
>> Tim Berners-Lee laureate of the Millennium Technology
Prize
>> Profile of Tim Berners-Lee – patron of East Dorset Heritage
Trust
>> Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web inventor, to join ECS
>> School of Electronics and Computer Science at the
University of Southampton
>> Audio interview - 2005-11-19
>> BBC2 Newsnight – Video interview clip of Berners-Lee on
the read/write Web
>> Technology Review interview
>> Audio interview by Christopher Lydon
External links
>> Berners-Lee`s home page
>> Berners-Lee`s blog
>> Berners-Lee`s book Weaving The Web which details his
views on the history and future of the Web.
>> World Wide Web Consortium
>> The W3 History page
>> Berners-Lee`s original proposal to CERN
>> Archive of the world`s first Web site (November 13, 1990)
>> Tim Berners-Lee at the Notable Names Database
>> Berners-Lee talk entited ``The Future Of The Web`` given at
the Oxford internet institute High resolution MP4 Low
Resolution MP4 Slides for the talk
>> Tim Berners-Lee considers new TLD`s harmful

Tim Berners-Lee

news and comment from the blogosphere


Researchers say semantic Web will drive Internet
Much of the discussion is centered on the "semantic Web," the
term for how researchers believe information on the Web can
be intelligently labeled, interpreted and linked through
applications that can draw relationships and discover buried ...
[read more]

World`s largest Windows error message


1961 - Leonard Kleinrock invents packet switching theory. 1962
- J.C.R. Licklider of MIT was first to conceive the idea of a
decentralized network of computers for information and file
sharing. 1965 - Thomas Merrill and Roberts connected the
TX-2 ... [read more]

US votes to preserve Net neutrality 10:26AM


US legislators are poised to approve a bill that will ban
broadband providers from restricting access to selected Web
content. The House of Representatives` Judiciary Committee
voted 20-13 in favour of the Internet Freedom and
Nondiscrimination Bill ... [read more]

BitTorrent: Shedding no tiers


So there`s me driving up to Homebase to get some new wine
glasses for my posh media chums to come round and watch the
World Cup. And I get to within half a mile of the store and my
car starts to slow down. Before I know it, I`m doing five miles an
... [read more]

Berners-Lee: Web Is Ready To Evolve


"I think there`s a chance actually that we can do better this time
around," said Tim Berners-Lee, the man credited with creating
the Web, during a W3C panel discussion about the Semantic
Web. The mainstream Web is ready for the next step in its ...
[read more]

Why the Democratic Ethic of the World Wide Web May Be


About to End
The World Wide Web is the most democratic mass medium
there has ever been. Freedom of the press, as the saying goes,
belongs only to those who own one. Radio and television are
controlled by those rich enough to buy a broadcast license. But
anyone ... [read more]

Digital Dialogue: `The Internet isn`t free`


Digital Dialogue: `The Internet isn`t free`
Last week on Digital Dialogue, the IHT`s technology Web log,
we invited readers to send in questions for Tim Berners-Lee,
who established the programming language of the Web in 1989
with colleagues at CERN, the European science institute. In an
... [read more]

Revamped Mobile Web on the Way


"I thought the .mobi domain was a bad idea," Tim Berners-Lee,
the man credited with inventing the Web, said at a news
conference last week. "What`s very important from my point of
view ... is that there is just one Web." Anyone who has ever
tried ... [read more]

What price a paid-for internet?


A battle is brewing in the US over the future of the web, and the
UK is joining the front line. As online content providers offer rich
media services such as television or video on demand, some
US ISPs are claiming that these types of offerings, with ... [read
more]

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