World Wide Web turns 20

THE WORLD WIDE WEB is now 20 years old, after celebrating its birthday on 6 August.

Like the printing press and the telephone, it grew rapidly. Within 20 years it has gone from basic web pages read by a handful of early advocates to a slick, polished, world-changing system. Our sister IT news web site V3.co.uk has taken a look at how the internet connected web of information has altered major industries forever.

One of the first industries to be taken to the cleaners was music. Services like Napster and Audiogalaxy made it clear that there were places where music was available that could be downloaded to your own computer, and from there it was all over.

News is another industry that has been profoundly affected. Before the advent of the world wide web, the newspaper industry had it all its own way. It largely controlled the news, outsiders were shut out and feedback was limited to the occasional letter.

Now web sites like Blogger, Wordpress and Twitter make mass publication a viable option for all, while the newspaper industry has to rely on new revenue streams like paywalls to stay in the black, as free news has become the norm.

The web has not only changed existing businesses, though. It has helped to create brand new ones that have taken entire sectors by storm - firms such as Amazon that have thrived at the expense of high street stores like Woolworths and HMV.

Click here to read more. µ