PUBLIC DOMAIN CERN WWW SOFTWARE
Tim Berners-Lee <timbl@www3.cern.ch> Fri, 07 May 1993 15:05 UTC
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From: Tim Berners-Lee <timbl@www3.cern.ch>
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Subject: PUBLIC DOMAIN CERN WWW SOFTWARE
Cc: iiir@merit.edu, Library of the Future <virtual@indycms.bitnet>, wbroad@nysernet.org, LIBREF <LIBREF-L@kentvm.bitnet>, lis-link@mailbase.ac.uk, MegaByte University <MBU-L@ttuvm1.bitnet>, Network Trainers Discussion List <NETTRAIN@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu>, nir@mailbase.ac.uk, CWIS-L@wuvmd.bitnet, Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@uhupvm1.bitnet>, unite@mailbase.ac.uk, uri@bunyip.com, wg-isus@rare.nl
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World-Wide Web Software Put Into Public Domain =============================================== A declaration that the basic World-Wide Web software from CERN is in the public domain has been signed by H. Weber, CERN's Director for Administration and W. Hoogland, Director for Computing. The declaration, signed on 30 April 1993, makes it clear that this is not a precedent for CERN software. It states, "CERN's intention is to further compatibility, common practices, and standards in networking and computer supported collaboration." The declaration covers the "libwww" common code library, the line mode browser (www) and the W3 server (httpd). The World-Wide Web (W3) is a global information system with a easy point-and click interface. It provides access to almost all existing Internet-based information as well as a whole new world of data presented to the user as multimedia hypertext. By a sequence of hypertext jumps and text searches, anyone can find his way though the mass of information available all over the world. The High Energy Physics community, of which CERN is a European center, already uses W3 extensively. In all there are more than 70 servers around the world providing data using special W3 protocols, including such diverse areas as hypertext of US law from the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University, to the "Thesaurus Linguarum Hiberniae" collection of medaeval Irish manuscripts from University College, Cork. Software for making servers is part of that put into the public domain by CERN. The other part is the "client" software which allows the reader to move seamlessly through this data and also all the existing data on servers using existing "FTP", "WAIS", "Gopher", and network news protocols. There are more than 14 different client programs for different computing platforms, written by people from institues in many countries. "The existence of a common, public domain kernel of software to handle the protocols will ensure compatibility, and prevent people having to 'reinvent the wheel'", says CERN's Tim Berners-Lee, W3's creator. The W3 project is a success story of international collaboration. The National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA) in Illinois have been a powerful force, producing a popular "Mosaic" client for workstations, and other contributions have come from many other universities throughout the world. In the US, the Web is seen as an answer to the Clinton administration's call for a National Information Infrastructure. It is growing fast. "Traffic we see on our CERN server has more than doubled every four months for the last two years", says Berners-Lee, "and of course there is a new server every few days". "With the Web, we are sharing knowledge," says Berners-Lee, "without discrimination as to who or where in the world you are." The W3 developers look forward to a time when the Internet, and so the Web, will be accessible from homes and high schools anywhere. As well as an opening up of research centers and government, they are looking for a sharing of ideas and educational material for all tastes and ages. Ends. __________________________________________________________________ Tim Berners-Lee timbl@info.cern.ch World Wide Web team leader CERN, CN Division Tel: +41(22)767 3755 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland Fax: +41(22)767 7155
- PUBLIC DOMAIN CERN WWW SOFTWARE Tim Berners-Lee