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First International Conference on the World-Wide Web

Geneva, 25 May 1994. World-Wide Web is the world's most powerful networked information system. It was originally conceived and developed at CERN1, where large high-energy physics collaborations created a demand for instantaneous information sharing between physicists working in different universities and institutes all over the world. Now it has millions of academic and commercial users.

The "Web" as it is affectionately called, runs on top of the Internet, the world's biggest interlinked set of computer networks. By installing a software package on your desktop computer, and having a network connection to the Internet, you can access all the information resources published worldwide at the click of a mouse button. Over 2 million computer systems with more than 15 million users already have access to the Internet. The Web is the delivery service on this net of Information Superhighways.

Once "webbed", you find yourself in the biggest reference library in the world: full colour pictures of dinosaurs can be called up within seconds from an exhibition in Honolulu, you can walk through parts of the Vatican Library, find out what's on in the movie theatres in Iowa city, order books, or register for conferences. Practically all research and education centres have their information displayed on the Web. Many large and small businesses are starting to use the system, even in-house, as the ultimate interactive bulletin board and meeting place.

The explosion of interest in World-Wide Web, which is the fastest growing service on the Internet, made it essential to hold a conference to review the current state and the future development of its services.

At CERN on May 25th, 26th and 27th, the first World-Wide Web conference is bringing together people from all over the world to discuss current Web technology and to determine its future. Almost 400 networking specialists, programmers, librarians, editors, educators, scientists, government delegates and businessmen will exchange views on subjects such as security, planning for expansion and information traffic management. The results and recommendations of this conference will point the way to the future of one of the most exciting current technologies Ð the availability of world-wide high speed information sharing for all.

1. CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, has its headquarters in Geneva. At present, its Member States are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Israel, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Yugoslavia (status suspended after UN embargo, June 1992), the European Commission and Unesco have observer status.