Web vs. Internet

    Nowadays the Internet has become synonymous with the Web and vice versa. The two words are interchangeable in conversation, with each party understanding the other despite which word is used. However, are the two really the same? Do they have the same purpose or meaning? While the Internet and Web work together they are, in fact, two separate entities.

    The Internet was co-created in the early 1960s by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn. The purpose of the project was to develop a system for use by the military to exchange ideas and information without the risk of caving in on itself in the event of a threat or nuclear strike. This initial project was dubbed the ARPANET, or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, and was funded by the Department of Defense. After some development, ARPANET was used more for communication among scientists across the world. The idea then developed into a more general use by the public and is now called the Internet. Essentially, the Internet is a global network of computers and other electronic devices, connecting them all to one another. Somewhat like a storage device, the Internet is home to a multitude of information, with a system of electronic signals traveling through wires or cables to personal devices. Think of it like a busy highway: the highway would serve as the Internet, a means of getting cars from one place to another, while each individual car is kind of like a website, which leads me to what the world wide web is.

    The world wide web (WWW) is a collection of different websites you can access through the Internet. A website is made up of related text, images, and other resources that provide information on a common subject. Tim Berners-Lee first proposed the idea in March 1989, refined it in May 1990, and then formalized the proposal into a management proposal in November of 1990. By the end of 1990, the first Web server was created. The invention and development of the WWW helped to popularize the Internet among the public, however it was originally designed to meet the demand for automated information sharing between scientists around the world. Essentially, it's like a big city where people can communicate with each other through websites; it's a global information system. Once connected to the Internet, you can access and view these websites using a web browser. 

     Berners-Lee's first server can be accessed on info.cern.ch and is home to the first website (http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html). This website contains links to information about the WWW, tech details for creating a Web server, and links to other Web servers as they became available (known as hyperlinks).

    In short, the Internet and the world wide web are two separate ideas. They do, however, work together. You can't have the WWW without the Internet and the Internet would not do as much work without the WWW. The Internet serves as the power behind and for the web.