Page 212 - Business Principles and Management

Chapter 8 • Technology and Information Management

Focus On...

Innovation–The Net’s Booster Rocket–The Web

The purpose of the first crude Internet was as an emergency communi-
cation system for the military in case an enemy attack knocked out
more conventional means of communication. Soon after this impor-
tant goal was achieved, experts began using the slow, unreliable, and
troublesome military Internet to share research findings. At the same
time, improvements were being made, but the system’s clumsiness
and the need for technical knowledge limited its growth. However,
the stage was set for the next breakthrough.
In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, an English physicist who had been work-
ing at the European Particle Physics Laboratory, created the World
Wide Web. This relatively unknown Web inventor developed a means
for using the Internet to send more than just typed material to any
computer in the world. What was needed was a global Internet-based
hypermedia means for sharing global information. His new system
permitted multimedia—graphics, videos, animations, and sounds—
to be sent over the Internet. The Net’s popularity grew by leaps and
bounds as further refinements were made. The laboratory also created
the first Web browser, leading to navigation through hyperlinks. The
marriage of the Internet and the Web led to rapid global acceptance
during the last decade of the 20th century.
Tim Berners-Lee believes the Web is a powerful force for social
and economic change and that it has already modified how we
conduct business, entertain ourselves, find information, and swap
ideas. His goal is to keep the Web wide open and free to everyone,
but he expects the Web will continue to alter our lives. He resisted
efforts by major corporations to own and operate parts of the Web,
because that would lead to charging user fees, which would not
make it free. As the director of the World Wide Web Consortium,
Berners-Lee discusses Web refinements with other consortium mem-
bers worldwide. The group also oversees and recommends solutions
to a variety of problems.
Tim Berners-Lee could easily have become very rich if he had person-
ally built his own Web business or worked with a major computer firm
to exploit it. He chooses to guide his creation to benefit humankind first
and foremost. Time magazine named him one of the greatest geniuses
of the 20th century. Yet he is not a household name like Albert Einstein.
But unlike many other famous people before him, he has a Web site.
Think Critically

1. Why was the first Internet created? Why didn’t the early version
of the Internet catch on with everyone?
2. How did the addition of the WWW increase use of the Internet?
3. Do you think Tim Berners-Lee would be happier being the CEO
of a highly successful firm making millions more than he is now
as an employee in nonprofit organizations?
4. Using a library or the Internet, find out more about Tim Berners-
Lee and write a report for the class.

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