Re: Web<>Net. Re: Web presentation stuff at HCC

Kevin 'Kev' Hughes (kevinh@pulua.hcc.hawaii.edu)
Tue, 21 Sep 93 09:19:53 HST

> One minor but important comment. I don't think it
> is true that the term "World-Wide Web" is or should
> be `rapidly becoming synonymous with'
> "The Internet". A lot of people might object
> to that, and it may cause some confusion.
>
> I normally describe WWW as
>
> o Primarily the ideas, concepts and initiaitive for
> global information as started at CERN;
>
> o The set of protocols which allow the idea to happen
>
> o The global body of information available using
> those protocols (HTTP, but also the older ones)
>
>
> The "Web" is different from the "Net". The "Web" is
> a body of information, an abstract space of knowledge.
> The Internet is a set of wires and routers.

Thanks, those are very good points - if I make another version
of the guide I'll certainly keep these in mind. However, I've been
noticing that people who haven't really used the Web begin to refer to the
Internet as the "World-Wide Web". The Computer Underground Digest did
have a post that advertised a "World-Wide Web" ezine, and it used the phrase
rather...haphazardly, I suppose...
I can't say I like it myself, but what can (or should) be done?
It's almost like using the word "xerox" to refer to anything produced by
a copy machine.

-- Kevin