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Summary: Past Present & Future - by the man who invented it
Review: Tim Berners-Lee explains how the Internet got started, but how he then conceived of the World Wide Web.Berners-Lee is a very modest man, and tells a good story that makes you feel you were there. He then takes us through his plans for the future of the WWW; obviously there are greater commercial forces now at play that might foil his plans, but good luck to him in his endeavours.
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Summary: Wow...the Web was born on a MAC ?!?
Review: Very insightful and historical view of the Web by the gent that created it. Tim gives credit to the folks that influenced his design for the Web and tells exactly how it came inot being in the mid 90's. Amazing to think he used a NEXT computer from Steve Job's old company to start the Web @ CERN. A must read for anyone who is intrested in Web history and doesn't settle for the common place acceptance of what the Web is today, but want's to learn of it's origins. Are you a grandma who loves checking email from her distant relatives and doesn't care how yahooappears in front of you when you type the URL? Then this book isn't for you. This book is for techies like myself that are tired of every John, Dick and Tom who use the "www" acronym and have no idea of what the heck they are talking about. How can you fully understand a technology if you don't know where it came from. This book is a litle dry (hence 4 stars) but will keep the intrest of any knowledgable Unix/dot.com geek, even if you have ADD. =) Much love to the folks @ CERN and to Tim...even though we evolve into new entities, lets not forget how or when we first started this wonderful Web process. Kevin
Rating:
Summary: Wow...the Web was born on a MAC ?!?
Review: Very insightful and historical view of the Web by the gent that created it. Tim gives credit to the folks that influenced his design for the Web and tells exactly how it came inot being in the mid 90's. Amazing to think he used a NEXT computer from Steve Job's old company to start the Web @ CERN. A must read for anyone who is intrested in Web history and doesn't settle for the common place acceptance of what the Web is today, but want's to learn of it's origins. Are you a grandma who loves checking email from her distant relatives and doesn't care how yahooappears in front of you when you type the URL? Then this book isn't for you. This book is for techies like myself that are tired of every John, Dick and Tom who use the "www" acronym and have no idea of what the heck they are talking about. How can you fully understand a technology if you don't know where it came from. This book is a litle dry (hence 4 stars) but will keep the intrest of any knowledgable Unix/dot.com geek, even if you have ADD. =) Much love to the folks @ CERN and to Tim...even though we evolve into new entities, lets not forget how or when we first started this wonderful Web process. Kevin
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Summary: Weaving the Web
Review: Weaving the Web : The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web by it's Inventor Tim Berners-Lee is a must read for tech investors. I read it based on George Gilder's recommendation. It is a technology book, not an investment book, but if you want be a successful tech investor you need to do the work. Perhaps work is a bad choice of words; reading this was a joy.
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Summary: Way to go!
Review: Weaving the Web is a book written by the Web's creator "Tim Berners Lee". The book is divided in three main part. The evolution of the Web, the moral behind the Web, and the future of the Web. The special thing about the book is that you can read it as a technical book, and you can read it as a moral book. After reading some pages in the book, i had chosen to read it morally. The book has only 209 pages, but you learn very much about the Web by reading it. I think it should be morally obliged for every web creator, and everyone that concerns the Web, to read the book. In the book he speaks about how the Web evolved, what its potential is, and what his personal vision about the Web is. It's a amusing book to read in that way. The moral behind the Web.
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Summary: A must read for those wanting to play in cyberspace
Review: Weaving The Web is a wonderful blending of three distinct subjects: the history of the World Wide Web, an astute analysis of the web's "current" state, that is, where it stands in the middle of 1999, and where it's founder believes and thinks it is headed. It is difficult to believe the accuracy of Berners-Lee's vision of what the web could be in the time that the web was just a dream, and how he worked to achieve it. He also dispels the common belief that he either disdains the accumulation of wealth that could have been his had he chosen a different path, or that he envies those individuals who have made millions (or billions) by building on the web's humble beginnings. He also does not begrudge the commercialization over the web, as many academics did at the time when the web was viewed primarily as a medium for the free sharing of ideas and information. Berners-Lee talks in depth about the social implications of technology, and indeed the World Wide Web is a social beast as much as it is a technological one. He does separate, however, the duties of bodies like the W3C whose sole purpose is to facilitate and strengthen the standards and protocols that are providing new richness and robustness to the web. This is clearly highlighted in his discussion of PICS, which allows for creation of rules that can facilitate filtering of objectionable material on the web. Berners-Lee makes the clear distinction between those who create the PICS technology, and those who decide how it will be implemented. It is evident from this book that Berners-Lee is far from finished in his duties. While not as radical as the initial concept of the World-Wide Web must have been in its time, his discussion of security, privacy, and collaboration and how they can and should be implemented on the web should be read by anyone who wants to be a player in Cyberspace. Berners-Lee does not hold a monopoly on great ideas for the web, but he clearly has a grasp on the balance and understanding of both the technology as well as its place in society that others would be well served to strive for.
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Summary: Open, amusing, insightful
Review: What's nice about Weaving the Web is that Tim Berners-Lee quite openly discusses how parallel thinking by other individuals led to some of his developments and how his attitude towards more openness and decentralization was met with incomprehension by all concerned. His thinking was of the rising tide floats all boats school, while his intellectual competitors (he never sold anything) were of the heterogeneity floats our boat school. The book may be long on paeans to the others involved, but it's nice to know how ideas flowed from person to person, and how comprehensive his initial notions were. What's clear is that his relentless "elling"of the idea of interconnectivity, common language, and open standards is what made the Web spread like wildfire and gave the basis to today's usage. If Berners-Lee's "ompetitors"had had there way, we'd be using one of a dozen proprietary systems, paying per click and retrieval - very much like a larger version of Lexis-Nexis or CompuServe.
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Summary: A peek into the mind behind the Web
Review: When I first ventured out onto the Web in 1994, little did I know that just a few years later I'd have the opportunity to meet and work with the man who's ideas put this new virtual world into motion. But there I was, at a W3C Advisory Committee meeting in San Jose, CA (Jan. 1998), sitting elbow to elbow with Berners-Lee at lunch, very much star-struck. Today, nearly three years later, I've had the pleasure to know a little bit more about Tim Berners-Lee the man, and to see him in action at various W3C meetings and conferences. Reserved, self-effacing, and even shy, you're still able to look into his eyes and see the gears turning exponentially faster than the ideas can possibly come out of his mouth, though he does try -- often being reminded to slow down so that his comments can be digested by the rest of us. Though we disagree occasionally (primarily about the universal application and suitability of namespaces), I very much respect his guidance and vision. Reading Weaving the Web was enlightening in several aspects: it filled in the holes in my knowledge obtained by talking with Tim, reading other historical works, and speaking with those who also helped make the Web what it is today. The most valuable aspect is the realization that if one truly believes in something and perseveres in their that a good idea can become more than that, it can become something that changes the lives of us all.
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Summary: OH, WHAT A WEB WE WEAVE......
Review: While he doesn't enjoy the fame or fortune of a mega mortal such as Bill Gates, Tim Berners-Lee is more than a major player in the world of the Web - he invented it. Dubbed one of the greatest minds of the 20th century by Time magazine, Berners-Lee is a visionary who relates how he created the World Wide Web, and what it means. He describes the Web's true nature, some of which helps us use it to better advantage. In addition, he offers his thinking regarding censorship, privacy, and the titan-like companies that have evolved. Now director of the World Wide Web Consortium, Berners-Lee has provided a lucid and compelling outline of today and tomorrow. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: OH, WHAT A WEB WE WEAVE......
Review: While he doesn't enjoy the fame or fortune of a mega mortal such as Bill Gates, Tim Berners-Lee is more than a major player in the world of the Web - he invented it. Dubbed one of the greatest minds of the 20th century by Time magazine, Berners-Lee is a visionary who relates how he created the World Wide Web, and what it means. He describes the Web's true nature, some of which helps us use it to better advantage. In addition, he offers his thinking regarding censorship, privacy, and the titan-like companies that have evolved. Now director of the World Wide Web Consortium, Berners-Lee has provided a lucid and compelling outline of today and tomorrow. - Gail Cooke
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