计算机网络译文.docVIP

The Future of The Computer and The Internet Since Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web, Web sites and the Web itself have gone through several phases. Berners-Lee intended for the Web to be free and open to everyone. That was pretty much the case in Phase 1, as people used the Web primarily to search for information and in Phase 2 when it became a publication tool. But now that we are in Phase 3, companies are using the Web for business, and holding on to the “free and open” concept is becoming more difficult. The dot-com bubble proved that some Internet companies were just a flash in the pan. But is that really so different from business in general? The survivors are those no doubt have a truly valuable product or service, and use the Internet as a tool. So life goes on, and Web development goes on for companies with a firm foundation. When the Web went online in 1991, HTML was the language used. We’ve since graduated to XML, and it looks like the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is guiding us to use additional languages in the next generation’ s Semantic Web. W3C languages XML, XML Schema, XML Signatures and Resource Description Framework (RDF) provide the groundwork of the Semantic Web, and they are based more on easy communication between computers than today’ s languages, which are really designed for communication among people. Once we get the Semantic Web implemented, we’ll enter Phase 4 of Web development, in which Web-based programs will use standard interfaces and protocols to interact with a network of databases and with each other. This will make the Web even more valuable than it is today, as people begin using all its capabilities. Today’s information agents on some sites give you a tiny taste of what the future holds. W3C is now focusing on the standards that will be necessary to make the Semantic Web work. These standards will provide a framework to enable further innovation and the creation of new products and markets, including Web infras