Group Discussion: WWW History
Students will work in groups to answer questions in a Wiki about WWW history. If you did not work before with Moodle Wikis, see this small video (3:36 min.) on the Wiki activity page.
Each group will answer the following questions:
- On the internet, nothing new is created if it can be reused from existing technologies. To prove this sentence, find 2 technologies from the WWW that reused technologies from pre-existing standards. For each:
- What and how was it reused?
- What were the advantages of reusing older technologies?
- In your opinion, could they have used something different? Yes or No. Justify your answer.
- Browser Wars. Companies fought wars to control the WWW technologies.
- Do you agree with the narrative for the browser wars presented in the video?
- Why?
- Point out and explain 2 facts or situations that support your point of view (discuss them separately).
Each group has to choose:
- Coordinator: To coordinate the discussions and group activities. He also has to control the time to ensure the group posts its results on time.
- Editor: To write down the group's contents to the wiki.
Each group has to create a wiki page to write the group members' names, USP numbers, and answers to the questions. A group may divide the two questions among two subgroups, but, in this case, it is recommended that you reserve some time for each subgroup to review the other's text.
Group 2.2
Group 2 - Class 2 [Editar]
Members
- Pedro Kenzo Muramatsu Carmo -11796451
- Igor Cardozo Martins - 10387515
- Daniel Henrique Lelis de Almeida - 12543822
- Rodrigo de Freitas Lima - 12547510
- Samuel de Assunção Ferreira - 12543565
- Felipe Seiji Momma Valente - 12543700
- Gabriel dos Santos Brito - 10284250
- Mateus Israel Silva - 11735042
Question 1
On the internet, nothing new is created if it can be reused from existing technologies. To prove this sentence, find 2 technologies from the WWW that reused technologies from pre-existing standards. For each:
- What and how it was reused?
- What were the advantages of reusing older technologies?
- In your opinion, could they have used something different? Yes or No. Justify your answer.
Answers
SGML
What and how it was reused?
The SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) was an already well-established technology, being used for the development of technical documentation in sectors like aviation and physics. Being already used and licensed by CERN, it was considered too expensive and had an inappropriate licensing model to be used on the Web, namely having a fee for each document and document alteration. Because of this, Tim Berners-Lee created a very simplified version of the SGML Markup Language, HTML (HyperText Markup Language), but with the addition of the hyperlink tag, a very important part of the WWW.
What were the advantages of reusing it?
By basing it on an already established and proven technology, things like adoption are easier (since mostly the same knowledge can be applied from one to another) and there is a smaller risk of failure, since the standard was already more mature.
In your opinion, could they have used something different? Yes or No. Justify your answer.
At the time, it probably was an adequate decision, with improved versions of it being used up until today, with little to no pressure to be replaced. With that considered, something different could also be used, developing their own standard thought with the web and hypertext format in mind, or using other markup standards as a base, like TeX.
DNS
What and how it was reused?
Before the concept of DNS, users used to map IP addresses into human-readable names to make it easier to access web servers. As it was more convenient to use human-readable names, this technique started growing and turned into a more complex technology: the DNS itself.
DNS (Domain Name System) is a system to map and translate human-readable domain names into IP addresses. It is commonly used around WWW by letting servers associate its web services IP addresses into URLs (Uniform Resource Locators), which is currently the standard method to locate resources on the web.
What were the advantages of reusing it?
The main advantage of reusing DNS is that the users were already used to mapping IP addresses into human-readable names.
In your opinion, could they have used something different? Yes or No. Justify your answer.
No, at the time, DNS was the best available technology. Nowadays, it would be possible to use alternatives, such as DHT (Decentralized Hash Tables), Blockchain-based Naming Systems or Peer-to-Peer Naming Systems.
Question 2
Browser Wars. Companies fought wars to control the WWW technologies.
- Do you agree with the narrative for the browser wars presented in the video?
- Why?
- Point out and explain 2 facts or situations that support your point of view (discuss them separately).
Answers
Yes, we agree there was a Browser War between Microsoft and Netscape.
We believe that, because at the beginning of the internet, Netscape Navigator, developed by a small company, quickly became the most popular browser due to its great performance, ease of use and the fact that it was free for non-commercial use. Witnessing the growth of the internet, Microsoft Corporation became interested in the creation of its own web browser, leading to the creation of Internet Explorer (IE) in 1995. Interested in settling its place in the browser market, IE was available to all Windows users (which already was one of the most used operating systems), even for commercial purposes.
However, that was not enough for Internet Explorer to become the most used browser, given that the public was already used to using Netscape. So, Microsoft started using its power as a megacorporation to make unethical acts with the purpose of “suffocating” Netscape. First, the fact that Internet Explorer was free of charge was not financially possible for the Netscape Company, since the only way Microsoft could make a profit with that model was with the sales of Windows OS. Next, in 1997 Windows started to come bundled with IE, increasing its installation base. Since the internet was at its beginnings, most users didn’t know about the existence of other browsers other than Internet Explorer, further cementing its place in the market.
The amount of unethical actions with the purpose of weakening another company proves that the competition can be indeed classified as a war.
Two facts/situations that support our perspective on the topic are:
The Death of Netscape
Culling of diversity within the market is a clear sign of a monopoly, and Netscape's sudden bankruptcy is a perfect example of that.
The demise of Netscape, a once-prominent player in the web browser industry, serves as a poignant illustration of the pernicious effects of monopoly power on market diversity. The virtual extinction of Netscape, once a formidable rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, highlights the harrowing consequences of market concentration, whereby a single dominant entity can emerge to suppress all competition and restrict consumer choice.
The consolidation of market power can result in a severe limitation of options available to consumers, leading to a worrisome homogenization of products and services, as well as an erosion of innovation and creativity in the industry. The fate of Netscape, therefore, underscores the importance of preventing monopolistic practices and fostering a dynamic and diverse marketplace that can benefit both consumers and businesses alike.
US Government v. Microsoft Corp. Lawsuit (solidified that Microsoft's grasp on the browser market was indeed a monopoly)
Another fact that supports the idea of an actual war in the browser market is the Antitrust Case by Microsoft and the US Government.
Two decades, Microsoft attempted to exterminate its competition in what was later known as the Browser Wars. Bill Gates’s corporation, which reigned supreme in the personal computer market, had the goal of also taking the top for the browser market. In 1998, the aggressive approach taken by Microsoft (resulting in a rapid expansion of the market share of the company in the PC market), which caused the death of its competitor Netscape, prompted the US Federal Regulators to open a lawsuit against the Tech Giant.
The accusations were brought forth as a result of Microsoft's inclusion of supplementary software within their operating system, leading to a situation whereby procuring the Microsoft Windows operating system was a mandatory requirement for those seeking access to a specific Microsoft application, exhibiting a high degree of unpredictability and intricacy.