Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by zinekeller 1604 days ago
> That's a blog, not 'the web'

The original web as envisioned by Tim Berners-Lee is basically a collection of internetworked and interconnected documents, which a blog is definitely a part of it. Blame Google's ChromeOS ambitions (especially pre-Android integration) for opening the Pandora's Box of WebApps.
2 comments
jasode 1604 days ago
>Blame Google's ChromeOS ambitions (especially pre-Android integration) for opening the Pandora's Box of WebApps.

Chrome OS is 2011 (first announced 2009). But before that, lots of people wanted the power of so-called "web apps" in the 1990s as we can see from various technologies getting introduced. And some even before Google incorporated in 1998:

- ~1995 Sun Java plugin for browsers

- ~1995 Netscape Navigator added Javascript

- ~1996 Macromedia Flash plugin

- ~1999 Microsoft IE XMLHttpRequest() function to fetch dynamic data

- ... many others I forgot

In 1998, I was able to order airline tickets on the internet for the first time on US Air and Southwest Airlines websites. In 1996, Mapquest had online maps to calculate driving directions. At this early stage, we're already past the "world wide web is only static documents" idea.

link
kingcharles 1604 days ago
I built a "Google Docs" in 1997 using Java applets (couldn't raise funds, too early). And HoTMaiL had launched the previous year, bringing email to the web, which is certainly one of the closest things I can think of to the first "web app".

WikiWikiWeb launched in early 1995. I'm trying to think what could classify as the first "web app"? I was on the Web in 1993 and there wasn't much of any use on there. Writing web apps was hard because there were no tools for it. I ended up writing most of my back end code in C. Which sounds crazy until I realize I'm writing it all in C# now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiWikiWeb

link
chasd00 1604 days ago
To me, it was cookies that opened the pandora's box of webapps. Cookies are what made user sessions, shopping carts, and everything else possible.
link
ComradePhil 1604 days ago
We could have built everything we have without cookies. Start a session and pass the session id back to all the links for that user and go fom there. So, instead of the Cookie header, you'd have the same information in the GET/POST parameters.
link
dsQTbR7Y5mRHnZv 1603 days ago
Wouldn't the average user lose their session when closing the browser or navigating away in that case?
link