[thelist] OT-ish purely image based websites

Sam-I-Am sam at sam-i-am.com
Tue Jan 20 17:46:29 CST 2004


> 
> Oh - and did very early Web content using HTTP or do I remember reading 
> somewhere that FTP was mainly used?

Don't forget Gopher, though I think FTP was always more widesread. Also 
I've met a few people who claim to have been building web sites longer 
than the web has existed. When pressed they usually mean they were 
maintaining BBS's.

I think though a web site must involve HTTP. The world wide web as 
announced by Tim Berners-Lee back then was an announcement of the HTTP 
protocol first and foremost, an addressing mechanism: URLs, with the 
HTML markup language a proposed document format. (and hyperlinking as an 
intended use). I'd argue the web (and by extension a web site) 
implements at the least these 3 components. (Somewhere I have this 
announcement - it was in a CERN newsletter - so if I can find it I can 
check my facts.)

I think one or more linked pages consistutes a site.

Some will argue that if I create or download a site onto my local drive, 
this is still a web site, even though I don't really need to involve 
HTTP in viewing it. I can't really refute that, but I dont like it :)

If I place a gif file on a HTTP server, is it a web site? It has a URL, 
and relies on HTTP, but I think it would be stretch to describe it that 
way.

Of course history is only one way of approaching a definition. Common 
usage is what is probably more useful for this exercise.

Sam





More information about the thelist mailing list