READING REPORT
Universality versus Isolation
“The primary principle underlying the web’s usefulness and growth is universality.” Universality means accessibility and approachability of the website. Also, to achieve universality, there is a need for decentralization. Three protocols are designed to realize it on the website, they are HTM format, the URI naming convention, and HTTP. These characters of universality all promote innovations. However, many cases of isolation, which is on the opposite side of universality, are happening in reality.
“The isolation occurs because each piece of information does not have a URI.” Isolation refers to the situation when connections between data are blocked and data are locked in the limited website, making the web fragmented. Contrary to the innovation that universality creates, the result of isolation can be the monopoly and lack of innovation.
Open Standards versus Closed Worlds
Open standards can be understood as an open, royalty-free standard system that the web uses, allowing more freedom and options for users and developers. An open standard system is crucial to creating diversity on the web.
The closed world is centralized. Boundaries and walls are artificially set up. One example can be the iTunes system.
The Web versus the Internet
The web can be understood as an application on the internet. The web and the internet need to be separated, which is essential to innovation.
The Future Web
The author described “social machine” as one future trend of the web. the web’s function as a social machine has already been widely used nowadays. Almost every application and website related to shopping has the function of rating and commenting. The comment board not only acts as an important measurement but has its social influence. Driven by profit, different people compete through this web function, making the situation more complex. Fake comments, anger, and fear can widely spread. Sometimes, consumers may even be confused by it.