What do the Internet – also called the World Wide Web – and Baby Boomers have in common? Some older readers may say ‘not an awful lot’, thanks to resistance-to-change labeling, but they would be wrong. Come join us and find out more, as we celebrate over three decades of the evolution of web design.
Regarding the Internet versus Baby Boomers question, astonishingly, the two concepts came about at about the same time, circa 1950. The Internet evolved from the introduction of the first electronic computers during the mid-twentieth century. This in turn led to the development of packet networking, that early ancestor of the Internet.
To qualify as a “Baby Boomer” you should not be younger than 57 years old – as in born during or before 1960. Set the time machine to return to 1945 to establish the upper-age limit of this exclusive club. The Baby Boomer generation came into being in 1945, with the signing of peace treaties and the conclusion of World War 2.
I digress – you will be pleased to know this article is the work of a genuine Baby Boomer!
EVOLUTION OF WEB DESIGN – THE 1980S
During the 1980s, UK computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee completed important research at CERN laboratory – the European Organization for Nuclear Research – in Switzerland. What eventually emerged from Berners-Lee’s painstaking research was the World Wide Web, or at least an early rendition thereof – call it V1 of the Internet. This pioneering network we dubbed V1 enabled the linking of hypertext documents into open-sourced information, accessible from any station enabled on the local area network at CERN.
FOR THOSE OLD ENOUGH! THE 1990S
If, like me you were computer savvy in the early 1990s, you will recall that it was at about this time the first commercial offerings of the World Wide Web caught our attention. The introduction of this new concept we call the Internet, has gone on to make by far the biggest impact on the collective since the Industrial Revolution. “Viral” is the right word to use, because the WWW directly affects every facet of our lives. Try to imagine life without the Internet – OMG!
THE NOT-SO NEW MILLENNIUM
Since the year 2000 dawned on us so dramatically, more than 3 decades of evolution of web design has revolutionized the way we live. It now dominates every sphere of life:
¬ Communication
¬ Commerce
¬ Industry
¬ Finance
¬ Culture
¬ Trade
In fact, I challenge you to name a space where the World Wide Web has not made a significant contribution.
A MODERN-DAY CASE STUDY
Talking about evolution of web design, let’s fast-forward and discover how the Internet assists modern-day businesses in the real world. I came across many examples of go-ahead web designers providing kick-ass websites for all manner of businesses. Operating in the virtual world, means providing modern-day, state of art web design to suit client needs. View this link and expand your mind!
Thought provoking: What has your generation done towards making a better world or WWW?
