The web and its evolution

The use of new technologies will enable an extraordinary user experience with a more complete and personalized level of interaction.

If we stop to think about how things were 50 years ago, when someone was looking for information, they had to go from library to library and either associate or purchase the information — all of it in printed form (by hand). The development of technology during the 70s and 80s was key and led to the creation of devices commonly known as computers. These devices were enormous at first, but they allowed us to organize information in databases. Communication or connection between these massive machines was nearly nonexistent, but as the years went by, personal computers emerged, and with them, the idea that each user or personal computer could connect with one another.

"The philosophy behind the creation of the Web was based on copyright principles and can be summarized in these three pillars: “everyone can publish, everyone can read, no one should restrict.”

It's common to hear the terms Web, network, or Internet used as if they were the same, but it's important to distinguish between them. The Internet, or the network of networks, refers to the physical network and how devices are interconnected— all through data communication protocols based on the TCP/IP model. The Web is an information technology on which the concept of navigating through cyberspace on the Internet has been developed.

Web 1.0 as a universal space

In the early 1990s, Tim Berners-Lee* designed a global information system where each user could "browse" from their computer and automatically access information. Berners-Lee said: "The concept of the Web integrated many different information systems by forming an abstract imaginary space in which the differences between them did not exist. The Web had to include all types of information from any system." Today, the Web is known as a universal space of information. From a technical perspective, the Web is based on three fundamental pillars: the URI, URL, and URN (unique identifiers); #HTML, a universal language for writing a web page; and the data communication or transmission protocol #HTTP, which follows a client-server model. Web 1.0 is also known as the basic web, as communication was unidirectional—it only allowed reading or viewing the web page.

Web 2.0 as a business model, also known as the Social Web

This term was first used at a conference by Tim O'Reilly** in 2004, coincidentally a few years after an economic crisis known as the dot-com bubble. It seems there is a pattern—when a technology is on the rise and ready to take its place in the market, it often does so after an economic crisis. After all, Web 2.0 was far from being a new technology; instead, it refers to a new way of using the Web. Unlike Web 1.0, new concepts emerged, such as online advertising (AdSense) and user feedback or opinion (Feedback). Web 2.0 represents a revolution due to the exponential increase in online presence of both new users and brands on the Web.

Web 3.0: Intelligent or Semantic Web

One of the problems faced by the Web was determining what a search "means" or what the behavior of a user signifies. It is during this stage that the evolution of software with genetic and neural algorithms comes into play, transforming the web into a massive database. With the Semantic Web, searches and publications become easier and more agile. In this stage, we encounter new concepts such as: data analytics (#BigData), metadata, #MachineLearning, Deep Learning (Artificial Intelligence), #IOT, and market segmentation based on consumer needs.

Web 4.0: The beginning of Bots and the revolution in high-speed mobile communication

Are we ready in Bolivia for the new technological leap? Currently, there is talk of mobile communication #5G, which refers to mobile communication at unimaginable speeds, enabling the development of new products such as telemedicine, self-driving cars, and more. Additionally, it is estimated that starting in 2021, 30% of searches will be done via voice and from mobile devices. It will be a world where machines and people will use the universal resource called the Web. Coincidentally, we find ourselves in an economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

In conclusion: Web technology is the foundation on which the World Wide Web of the Internet was built and has been evolving, requiring increasingly higher bandwidth from the information highways. Now, with 5G technology, mobile wireless access will have bandwidth similar to optical fibers. Finally, the use of new technologies will provide an extraordinary user experience with a more complete and personalized level of interaction. Web 4.0 will offer unimaginable solutions based on all the information we continuously provide and that exists on the Web.

Bibliography

• How the WEB works (2008). Web Research Center. Intellectual Property Registry 169174, Chile. ISBN: 978-956-319-225-1.

• O'Reilly, T. (September 30, 2005) What is Web 2.0. Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software. https://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

Tim Berners-Lee * British computer scientist, known as the father of the World Wide Web.

Tim O'Reilly ** Founder and president of O'Reilly Media. A strong promoter of free software and open-source movements, as well as one of the authors of the Web 2.0 concept.