We can all agree that the web has changed dramatically over the years, both as a consumer and as a developer. Thanks to advancements in the web, producing attractive websites and applications has never been easier.
The purpose of this blog post is to explore the past of the web, as well as discuss the potential future of the web, i.e. web 3.0.
Web 1.0 Beta
The concept of hypertext predates the World Wide Web by several decades. However, almost all hypertext systems relied on local files. Tim Berners-Lee wished to develop a system that could work across networks, allowing individuals to link from one file on one machine to another file on another.
So in December 1990, he coded an app with Objective-C for his next computer system and named it world wide web.
WorldWideWeb was more than just a file-browsing application. It was both a browser and an editor.
You can check the first worldwideweb browser: https://worldwideweb.cern.ch/
Web 1.0
Web 1.0 was the first stage of the World Wide Web revolution, usually referred to as read-only web. Websites were informational and contained only static content that was hyperlinked together or in simple words there was no CSS, dynamic links, interactivity like logging in the users, comments on the blog posts etc.
The websites were built using Server Side Includes or Common Gateway Interface (CGI) instead of a web application written in a dynamic programming language such as Perl, PHP, Python or Ruby.
In the era of Web 1.0 i.e. from 1991 to 2004, users on the internet were consumers of content created by content creators.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 from 2004 till now, is the second stage of the World Wide Web revolution, usually referred to as read-write web. Emphasis was given to user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture and interoperability.
Some of the early platform based on web 2.0 are YouTube, Facebook, Amazon and so on. Due to CMS technologies such as WordPress, blogging, creating a ecommerce shop became extremely popular.
Web 2.0 brought about a fundamental shift, where people could share their perspectives, opinions, thoughts, and experiences through a variety of online tools and platforms.
Web 2.0 Disadvantages
Before looking at disadvantages let's see how a traditional web 2.0 application works.
A client(user) will make a HTTP request to the server and if everything is correct it will send back that webpage as a response.
A major flaw here is that all data is stored on a centralized server, controlled by the companies.
Facebook, Google, and Twitter began storing users data in their servers so that they can serve us better content through machine learning. This in turn would make us stay on their websites longer, therefore providing more ad revenue for these companies.
The companies eventually started selling our information to advertisers, which meant more money for them!
Facebook's data-sharing deals exposed
To summarize web 2.0 we can say that users are the product.
Web3
The web3 concept aims to create a decentralized, but secure, internet in which people can securely exchange money and information, without the need for middlemen or big tech companies.
Unlike Web 2.0 where data is stored in a single database or on a cloud provider, Web 3 applications either runs on blockchain, peer to peer nodes (servers).
In contrast to web 2.0, where you are the product, some people predict that in web3, you will be the content owner. According to web3 specialists, the corporation will be run by a decentralised group known as a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) removing the need of CEO’s and upper management in a company. Because your digital identity is not tied to your real identity in web3, you can be anonymous on the internet while still living your usual life.
An example of web3 application is Obsidian for Whatsapp, Odyessy, LBRY for YouTube, etc.
Is the buzz surrounding Web3 worth it?
Varied people have different perspectives on this; some believe it is a hoax created by cryptocurrency traders, while others believe it is a real deal. In my opinion, blockchain and web3 are still in an early stage of development and have a long way to go.
Some valid current arguments as of writings are:
- The compute and bandwidth problem to scale blockchain. Here is an link to the article about it https://www.stephendiehl.com/blog/web3-bullshit.html
- Mining is not eco-friendly and consumes a lot of energy to mine and verify transactions. Here's a Cambridge University article about it.
- Personal Opinion: Creating an unregulated social media platform, such as YouTube or Facebook, where users can add any data but it cannot be erased, could be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you have freedom of speech, but on the other hand, there may be people publishing explicit content that cannot be deleted by anybody. This can be highly dangerous unless there is a means to check if the information contains explicit content by machine. I would love to hear your opinion on this issue.
References
- Fireship video on early web 1.0
- Fireship video on web 3.0
- Article about disadvantages of web 3.0
- Wikipedia web 2.0
I've been learning about blockchain for about two weeks now, and while I don't believe it is yet at the level where it can transform the entire web, I do find the idea and the conecpt of blockchian and decentralized web intriguing. This is the first post in a series on blockchain, so if you're interested in learning more about this technology, keep a watch out for my article next week, in which I'll explain blockchain using animated gifs.
For more such insights, checkout my blog website blog.webdrip.in
Top comments (17)
In my opinion. Blockchain will definitely have huge implementations in stock markets, voting, real estate. but who knows when government bodies will implement..
Btw not sure about crypto currency.🧐 There are many questions still to be answered. Like how gov. will control the economy in case any crisis as it won't have any direct control over currency. (Then there won't be any point of government if all is decentralised 😂)
In India, the government has used blockchain to create a universal pass for persons who have been twice vaccinated. I'm not aware of any other implementations, but this is the only one I've seen from the government.
The concept of a decentralised finance system is appealing, but the existing system is too volatile and unsustainable; I suppose only time will tell whether it will take off or not.
I'm reading a book from Mark Alizart wich is call CryptoCommunism. I buy it because i find it hillarious (i must admit) but there are some very intresting perspectives about decentralised state, blockchain and
kind of neo-marxism that worth the reading.
Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out❤️.
Telling the truth, it's great to see that time goes and even internet is also improving. For me web3 is online privacy and anonymity. And I believe it's the only way how it can be accessed. If I'm not mistaken, Utopia p2p can be called web3 - https//u.is/ as it's decentralized, based on its own blockchain ecosystem, containing messenger, email, browser, own crypto and providing 100% anonymity to its users.
Anonymity is exactly the wrong direction. To keep online discourse civil and in check the penalties for bad actors should mirror real life. We need real credible identity and reputation. What you say and do linked to Passport, driver license, dna, credit and a list of up to 50 people in your immediate circle who, by virtue of their collective knowledge, vouch for your position in family and society. Isint this completely obvious?
whew, you had me there for a second. my post-holiday monday reading comprehension skills still managed to pick up on the sarcasm though, thank goodness.
decentralized yes, for sure that will grow. But Blockchain, I dunno know. The tail-data like in Bitcoin seems to be a huge waste of resources
Peer to peer and decentralized does not have to be Blockchain and cryptocurrency.
Devil's advocate (before flying to moon):
SignalApp founder wrote his opinion on web3, after writing two experiment dApp projects:
moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-im...
Web3 is so hot right now.
Thanks for letting us know!
Your welcome Ayush!❤️
Thanks for the article, i see a lot of people on tweeter saying that web3 Is the real deal for 2022 do you think It would change a lot the development process?
No, based on the facts I've obtained, I believe it is still in its early stages of growth and will require time to mature.
The frameworks that are used to create decentralized applications are changing fast and are not very stable.
We might see a lot of exciting applications and development in the framework in 2022, which might be a cornerstone for the future of blockchain.
Hello! Thanks to write this contents.
Can I translate your post to Korean Would it be possible?
I wanna post at my blog with this post links and contents.
Feel free to translate and add it to your blog❤️