Trace the evolution of web technologies, understanding the shift from static pages to dynamic, interactive applications.
The history of web development is a fascinating journey of innovation that provides essential context for modern practices. It all began in the early 1990s with Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, and URLs. This era, often called Web 1.0, was characterized by static, 'read-only' websites. These were simple HTML documents, hyperlinked together, with minimal styling and no interactivity. The primary goal was to share information. The late 1990s and early 2000s ushered in Web 2.0, the 'read-write' web. This was a paradigm shift driven by the advent of technologies like JavaScript and server-side languages (like PHP and ASP). Websites became dynamic and interactive. Users could now generate content through blogs, social media, and wikis. This era saw the rise of giants like Google, Facebook, and YouTube. The key innovation was the ability for applications to run logic on a server, interact with a database, and present customized content to the user. More recently, we've seen the emergence of Web 3.0, the 'decentralized' web. This concept is built on technologies like blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and AI, aiming for a more intelligent, autonomous, and user-centric internet where users have greater control over their data.