It is hard to believe that about 18 years ago, the world was able to function without the use of the World Wide Web. Companies were able to do business, people were able to keep in touch, and bills were paid. However, the invention of the World Wide Web made these things a great deal easier and more convenient.
Most people associate the World Wide Web with Bill Gates, however this is incorrect. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and it was launched in 1991. “Instead of patenting his invention, Berners-Lee -- who has always been determined to keep the web from falling into private hands -- made it freely available to all” (Leonard, 2005). Tim Berners-Lee believed that if he had charged people for the use of the World Wide Web it would not have taken off as it did.
Although there is a great deal of money that could possibly be made by charging for the use of the Web, the amount of information that users access could be affected. One of the reasons Tim Berners-Lee wants to see the Web remain free is so that users are able to access all the information that is available on the Web. A service provider could sign an agreement with vendors and only allow their subscribers access to the information provided by those vendors. These subscribers may not be aware that the information he or she is receiving has been limited. In an email to Kevin Coughlin in October of 2005, Tim Berners-Lee stated, “the ability to see what is out there, unscreened, is utterly necessary, and is what the Web is really about” (Coughlin, 2005).
The World Wide Web that world knows could have been designed differently had the Internet not been open. Jim Rapoza made some valid suggestions about how the Web could have been designed more like cell phone or satellite TV networks. Jim Rapoza gave this scenario, “Hey, I hear there's this great search engine called Google that supposedly works really well and offers all kinds of cool online apps. Problem is, you have to be a Verizon customer to get it. And if I leave Verizon, I won't be able to access the eBay auction site anymore, because that's a Comcast-only site” (Rapoza, 2007).
Looking at the way in which the World Wide Web benefits the world created in the way it was, open and free, it is easy to see that it is as it should be. People should be able to access all the information that is available and for free. The Web helps businesses grow, children learn, and it helps people keep in touch with each other. The World Wide Web has been and will continue to be a great asset to our world as long as it remains open and free.
References
Kevin Coughlin Newhouse News Service (2005, October 5). THE WEB MUST REMAIN FREE; INVENTOR: LACK OF FEES KEY TO GROWTH :[Final Edition]. The Post - Standard,p. F4. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 907154131).
Jim Rapoza (2007, March). Berners-Lee's Talk Goes Back to the Web's Future; Opinion: Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web and director of the World Wide Web Consortium, presents a good argument for net neutrality. eWeek,1. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1271232151).
Tom Leonard (2005, March 6). The man who invented the web: :[Final Edition]. The Province,p. B7. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Canadian Newsstand Core database. (Document ID: 804427751).
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