The Web turns 30 today. And it’s quite likely that most of the people using and benefiting from the World Wide Web now are just barely 30 themselves, if that.
Those of us who programmed computers using dumb terminals and received tremendous satisfaction when all the punch cards worked the first time, are still amazed at how far IT has come along in the last 30 years. Mainframes are definitely the minority now and, of course, you don’t need a 30,000 sq. ft. room to house one computer that had less power and storage than our smartphones today.
In our celebration we need to remember that it was IT that conceived the Web and birthed it and raised it (and is still providing for it). Thousands of professional men and women devoted their entire careers to some aspect of the Web. Many thousands more are following in their footsteps today. And there is no end in sight.
Few industries are as formidable and promising as information technology. Everything today runs on IT.
Forbes ran a piece today on the anniversary of the Web to both laud its accomplishments as well as to pass along some good advice from the Web’s founder, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
It was 30 years ago that British engineer Sir Tim Berners-Lee effectively created the medium that has made communication instantaneous and cheap, spawned a generation of content surfers, launched many a billion-dollar business, and upended nearly every industry.
To celebrate, Berners-Lee wrote a somber reflection on where the web—which along the way lost its early capitalization—is today. “The web has become a public square, a library, a doctor’s office, a shop, a school, a design studio, an office, a cinema, a bank, and so much more,” he wrote, but it is also rife with “dysfunction.” He then called on governments, companies, and users alike to unite in combatting those problems before they get worse.
(Read the entire article at Forbes here.)
The impact of the Web on human existence has been astounding. You are reading this article because of what Berners-Lee and others envisioned and accomplished. We all certainly expect more to come. Better technology to facilitate more accurate, more expedient, and more effective business around the globe. Who would even think that the Web, or some future form of it, could ever end.
Content is another matter altogether. Content is created by human beings (even if it is redistributed by IT robots). We control content. Its words, Its honesty. Its tone. Its ultimate meaning. And like it or not, we have a lot of work to do in getting content right in today’s communication channels.
Intent is key. Tact is vital. Compassion is necessary. Honesty is paramount. That goes for Facebook postings to job offerings to retail sales coupons. You name it. We, humans, are in charge of getting this right, despite the technology.
There are so many opportunities now for greater advancement in IT. The Web is just one big slice of the pie. And the possibilities for learning and applying and accomplishing are seemingly endless.
Core Technology Solutions is also 30 years old. The Web was just in its infancy, but our success grew because of the thousands of IT professionals who worked under the hood every day to create and repair and tune up those systems that today continue to be the backbone of global business. IT is what we do every day.
And it’s the relationships that we’ve built over the decades that have allowed us to meet the needs of technology in business and the career goals of the top IT talent in the country.
If you’d like to learn more about what we do, give us a call and let’s share a slice of birthday cake!