www prefix history

[serpretetsky]

I'm curious how did the www (world wide web) prefix first start?

I understand that websites are just a subset of the internet services. But why did they (and who) decide to choose www as a prefix to a domain to indicate its an html website?

For example:
---------------------------------------------------------
www.google.com - how it is
website.google.com - why didn't they choose this instead?
w.google.com - how about this one? nice and short!
site.google.com - hmmm?
---------------------------------------------------------
is www actually some sort of standard? What is the reasoning for choosing www? World Wide Web sounds sort of cheesy to me.

 

[theevilsharpie]

The prefix came about because www is a short hand way of referring to an HTTP server, and it was a standard at the time to name host records after the name of the services they provided (e.g., smtp, pop3, nntp, etc.)

 

[serpretetsky]

The prefix came about because www is a short hand way of referring to an HTTP server, and it was a standard at the time to name host records after the name of the services they provided (e.g., smtp, pop3, nntp, etc.)

so why not http.google.com, or html.google.com. When did world wide web get coined?



ahh, here we go:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/berners-lee-knighted.html

looks like there is one man responsible for starting this.

I wonder if the first servers and clients that he tested he used www.domain.toplevel or if that came about later after he released his web server and clients.


ahhh, more stuff i did not know
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWideWeb

 

[JoeMcJoe]

You can make that prefix you're talking anything you want for a domain. Its setup in its dns entry.

 

[serpretetsky]

You can make that prefix you're talking anything you want for a domain. Its setup in its dns entry.

Exactly! so why did www get so poular? I think I already answered my question with the links.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

so why not http.google.com, or html.google.com. When did world wide web get coined?



ahh, here we go:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/berners-lee-knighted.html

looks like there is one man responsible for starting this.

I wonder if the first servers and clients that he tested he used www.domain.toplevel or if that came about later after he released his web server and clients.


ahhh, more stuff i did not know
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWideWeb

Well, why not http? Well, simple because http:// specifies that it is an http setup and should be treated as such by the browser, same goes for ftp:// So typing http://http.website.com would have been a little weird 🙂

The reason for www? Maybe its because it was simple to type.