Listen to this articleWORLD WIDE WEB
With each passing second, as the Earth rotates on its axis and as the Sun revolves around the Milky Way's center, the World Wide Web (WWW) continues to grow in popularity. Websites continue to proliferate. The utility of the World Wide Web continues to expand. With each passing second, the World Wide Web becomes less of a novelty and more of a necessity.
In conjunction with TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), the World Wide Web uses HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) as its method of transmitting information. An Internet address with the "http://" prefix means that the World Wide Web is being used as the method of communications.
ORGANIZATION OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB
The "Big Data" page of this website alluded to the total number of Internet users. Specifically, it noted that, according to Miniwatts Marketing Group's tracking, there were 2,433,376,688 (billion) worldwide users of the Internet as of December 2012. This page looks at the total number of websites on the World Wide Web rather than the total number of Internet users.
According to VeriSign, as of December 2012, there were more than 252,000,000 (million) Top-Level Domain (TLD) registrations or unique websites on the World Wide Web. By comparison, according to ZookNIC, there were only 16,000 Top-Level Domain (TLD) registrations as of July 1992.
The World Wide Web Consortium or W3C is the organization that is devoted to developing and promoting World Wide Web rules, specifications, guidelines, or standard operating procedures. The W3C serves as the caretaker, guardian, and clearinghouse of World Wide Web standards. Website creators and browser builders, for instance, comply with the World Wide Web standards as adopted by the W3C.
What is a registered domain? Broadly speaking, there are two types of domain names. The first type of domain name is known as the generic Top-Level Domain Name (gTLD). Some of the traditional, older, and more popular gTLDs include the following ones:
- .com - public and commercial-related
- .net - network and computer-related
- .org - nonprofit organization-related
- .gov - government-related
- .edu - education-related
- .mil - military-related
An example of a generic Top-Level Domain Name (gTLD) would be https://www.usa.gov/.
The second type of domain name is known as the country code Top-Level Domain Name (ccTLD). Some of the more popular ccTLDs include the following ones:
- .de - Germany
- .tk - Tokelau
- .uk - United Kingdom
- .cn - China
- .nl - Netherlands
- .ru - Russian Federation
- .eu - European Union
- .br - Brazil
- .au - Australia
- .fr - France
An example of a country code Top-Level Domain Name (ccTLD) would be http://www.yandex.ru/.
For a complete list of domain names, see the following web link:
See also the following link and video for the anatomy of a domain:
WORLD WIDE WEB: THE PRESENT
Through a World Wide Web browser, users are capable of accomplishing a variety of tasks over the Internet. All kinds of surfing adventures await. The videos and table below cite examples of these World Wide Web adventures:
| Count | Web Capability | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Give to charity | Website |
| 2 | Browse local community events | Website |
| 3 | Showcase the hometown | Website |
| 4 | Look up older versions of a website | Website |
| 5 | Search for all kinds of information | Website |
| 6 | Obtain all kinds of government information | Website |
| 7 | Get quick answers | Website |
| 8 | Read news reports | Website |
| 9 | Get the latest informational buzzes | Website |
| 10 | Learn for free | Website |
| 11 | Get all kinds of free stuff | Website |
| 12 | Get freeware and shareware utilities | Website |
| 13 | Obtain answers to various questions | Website |
| 14 | Watch television programs | Website |
| 15 | Watch all kinds of webcasts | Website |
| 16 | Listen to radio programs | Website |
| 17 | Watch all kinds of videos | Website |
| 18 | Locate people and businesses | Website |
| 19 | Place telephone calls | Website |
| 20 | Make retail purchases | Website |
| 21 | Conduct all kinds of commerce | Website |
| 22 | Study all kinds of politics | Website |
| 23 | Surf the web for elderly interests | Website |
| 24 | Surf the web for children's interests | Website |
| 25 | Surf the web for parenting interests | Website |
| 26 | Get teacher tools | Website |
| 27 | Look up definitions with pronunciations | Website |
| 28 | Bank online and pay bills | Website |
| 29 | Obtain credit report | Website |
| 30 | Learn about managing bills | Website |
| 31 | Buy and sell securities | Website |
| 32 | Find the best insurance rate | Website |
| 33 | Buy food and household items | Website |
| 34 | Purchase music, movies, and games | Website |
| 35 | Purchase computer hardware and software | Website |
| 36 | Get do-it-yourself legal assistance | Website |
| 37 | Make travel and vacation plans | Website |
| 38 | Obtain an assortment of reading materials | Website |
| 39 | Purchase eBooks | Website |
| 40 | Find private sector jobs | Website |
| 41 | Find public sector jobs | Website |
| 42 | House hunt | Website |
| 43 | Find related or similar websites | Website |
| 44 | Get product reviews | Website |
| 45 | Find microcomputer-related freelancers | Website |
| 46 | Hunt for vehicles | Website |
| 47 | Lifestyle hunt | Website |
| 48 | Mate hunt | Website |
| 49 | Create a website | Website |
| 50 | Play online games | Website |
| 51 | Chat | Website |
| 52 | Blog | Website |
| 53 | Socialize | Website |
| 54 | Text | Website |
| 55 | Share information | Website |
| 56 | Collaborate | Website |
| 57 | Store and exchange digital files | Website |
| 58 | Automatically backup and sync files | Website |
| 59 | Exchange electronic mail and digital files | Website |
| 60 | Perform calculations | Website |
| 61 | Get organized | Website |
| 62 | Obtain health information | Website |
| 63 | Obtain personal money-management information | Website |
| 64 | Translate languages | Website |
| 65 | Check the weather | Website |
| 66 | Get driving directions | Website |
| 67 | Check live traffic | Website |
| 68 | Sightsee | Website |
| 69 | Navigate the Earth and the inner Solar System | Website |
| 70 | Beautify the Earth | Website |
| 71 | Conserve and replenish the Earth | Website |
| 72 | Perform recycling on Earth | Website |
| 73 | Study the nations of the Earth | Website |
| 74 | Monitor global trends and patterns | Website |
| 75 | Perform measurement conversions | Website |
| 76 | Become more aware of self and humanity | Website |
| 77 | Become more sexually aware | Website |
| 78 | Find fun things to do in the USA | Website |
| 79 | Find exciting things to do worldwide | Website |
| 80 | Tour the Earth | Website |
| 81 | Tour the Solar System | Website |
| 82 | Tour the Universe | Website |
| 83 | Wager and gamble | Website |
| 84 | Barter and bargain | Website |
| 85 | File a consumer complaint | Website |
| 86 | Explore popular web viewing trends | Website |
| 87 | Study religions | Website |
| 88 | Create a web store | Website |
| 89 | Use personal finance calculators | Website |
| 90 | Find the best cellular phone rate | Website |
| 91 | Find health insurance | Website |
| 92 | Find health services | Website |
| 93 | Find the lowest prescription drug prices from the most reputable online pharmacies | Website |
| 94 | Learn how to do all kinds of things | Website |
| 95 | Prepare for emergencies | Website |
| 96 | View information as a service | Website |
| 97 | Find resources for people with disabilities | Website |
| 98 | Learn about the metric system | Website |
| 99 | Learn English as a second language | Website |
| 100 | Get shopping discounts | Website |
| 101 | Liquidate assets and excess merchandise | Website |
| 102 | Monitor global disease outbreaks | Website |
| 103 | Find the best airfare | Website |
| 104 | Find the best buys | Website |
| 105 | Get all kinds of [free] publications from the Federal Citizen Information Center | Website |
| 106 | Buy surplus property from the government | Website |
| 107 | Find Missing Money | Website |
| 108 | Explore Numbers | Website |
| 109 | Peruse the World Wide Web | Website |
| 110 | Get on USA TV Shows | Website |
| 111 | Achieve financial goals | Website |
| 112 | Locate Anyone | Website |
Disclaimer: The websites/hyperlinks cited in the above table are apt to change ownership and mission or go out of business without notice.Obviously, with over 252 million websites in existence as of December 2012, there remains a lot more capability on the World Wide Web. The 111 examples cited in the table above represent a fraction or a small sampling of the World Wide Web's overall capability. A list of the most popular websites on the World Wide Web is located here:
WORLD WIDE WEB AND LIFE ON EARTH: THE FUTURE
Time will tell what the future has in stored for humankind and life on Earth. Some visions of future life in the 21st century and some World Wide Web projections are summarized in the following videos:
I believe that future life on Earth will be more akin to Heaven than Hell. I do not believe that humans will destroy Earth. I do not believe that humans will destroy their species. I do not believe that humans will revert to barbarism and savagery as a way of life.
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