Tim Berners-Lee wrote:
> In article <6...@cernvax.cern.ch> I promised to post a short summary
of the
> WorldWideWeb project.  Mail me with any queries.

>            WorldWideWeb - Executive Summary

> The WWW project merges the techniques of information retrieval and
hypertext to
> make an easy but powerful global information system.

> The project started with the philosophy that much academic
information should
> be freely available to anyone. It aims to allow information sharing
within
> internationally dispersed teams, and the dissemination of information
by
> support groups.

>      Reader view

> The WWW world consists of documents, and links.  Indexes are special
documents
> which, rather than being read, may be searched. The result of such a
search is
> another ("virtual") document containing links to the documents found.
A simple
> protocol ("HTTP") is used to allow a browser program to request a
keyword
> search by a remote information server.

> The web contains documents in many formats. Those documents which are
> hypertext,  (real or virtual) contain links to other documents, or
places
> within documents. All documents, whether real, virtual or indexes,
look similar
> to the reader and are contained within the same addressing scheme.

> To follow a link,  a reader clicks with a mouse (or types in a number
if he or
> she has no mouse). To search and index, a reader gives keywords (or
other
> search criteria). These are the only operations  necessary to access
the entire
> world of data.

>      Information provider view

> The WWW browsers can access many existing data systems via existing
protocols
> (FTP, NNTP) or via HTTP and a gateway. In this way, the critical mass
of data
> is quickly exceeded, and the increasing use of the system by readers
and
> information suppliers encourage each other.

> Making a web is as simple as writing a few SGML files which point to
your
> existing data. Making it public involves running the FTP or HTTP
daemon, and
> making at least one link into your web from another. In fact,  any
file
> available by anonymous FTP can be immediately linked into a web. The
very small
> start-up effort is designed to allow small contributions.  At the
other end of
> the scale, large information providers may provide an HTTP server
with full
> text or keyword indexing.

> The WWW model gets over the frustrating incompatibilities of data
format
> between suppliers and reader by allowing negotiation of format
between a smart
> browser and a smart server. This should provide a basis for extension
into
> multimedia, and allow those who share application standards to make
full use of
> them across the web.

> This summary does not describe the many exciting possibilities opened
up by the
> WWW project, such as efficient document caching. the reduction of
redundant
> out-of-date copies, and the use of knowledge daemons.  There is more
> information in the online project documentation, including some
background on
> hypertext and many technical notes.

>      Try it

> A prototype (very alpha test) simple line mode browser is currently
available
> in source form from node  info.cern.ch [currently 128.141.201.74] as

>    /pub/WWW/WWWLineMode_0.9.tar.Z.

> Also available is a hypertext editor for the NeXT using the NeXTStep
graphical
> user interface, and a skeleton server daemon.

> Documentation is readable using www (Plain text of the instalation
instructions
> is included in the tar file!). Document

>          http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html

> is as good a place to start as any. Note these coordinates may change
with
> later releases.

> _________________________________________________________________

> Tim Berners-Lee                    Tel:    +41(22)767 3755
> WorldWideWeb project               Fax:    +41(22)767 7155
> C.E.R.N.                   email:  t...@cernvax.cern.ch
> 1211 Geneva 23
> Switzerland