Web Versions

Web 1.0 (The Static Web) – ~1990-2004

What it was:

The read-only web.

Characteristics:

• Static HTML pages
• No user accounts or interaction
• No comments or social features

Technologies:

• HTML
• Basic CSS
• Early JavaScript
• CGI scripts

Examples:

• Early Yahoo
• Early GeoCities
• Simple company brochure websites

Think of it as:

A digital newspaper – you can read, but not interact.

Web 2.0 (The Social Web) - ~2004-Present

What it is:

The read-write web.

Characteristics:

• User-generated content
• Social media
• Comments, likes, shares
• Real-time updates
• Rich interactive interfaces (AJAX)
• APIs and cloud services

Technologies:

• JavaScript frameworks (React, Angular, Vue)
• AJAX
• REST APIs
• Databases (MySQL, MongoDB)
• Cloud platforms

Examples:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Wikipedia

Think of it as:

A conversation platform – users create and share content.

Web 3.0 (The Semantic & Decentralized Web) – Emerging

There are two meanings of Web 3.0

1 Semantic Web (Original Web 3.0 vision)

Proposed by Tim Berners-Lee

Goal:

Make the web machine-readable and intelligent.

Features:

• AI understanding content
• Linked data
• Smart assistants
• Knowledge graphs

Example:

• Google search understanding intent
• AI chat systems

2 Blockchain Web3 (Modern meaning)

The decentralized web powered by blockchain

Features:

• Decentralization
• Smart contracts
• Cryptocurrencies
• NFTs
• DAOs

Technologies:

• Blockchain
• Ethereum
• IPFS
• Smart contracts

Examples:

• Ethereum
• OpenSea
• Uniswap

Think of it as:

A web you own – no central authority controlling your data.