Hello World

The basic fundamental hurdle in learning the C programming language according to the gospel of Kernighan and Ritchie is to overcome the difficulty of making the words "hello, world" appear on your computer screen. You do it like this:

    main 0
    {
        printf ("hello, world/n");
    }

Usually it does not work the first time. On a second try, the novice is rewarded by seeing the sacred words appear. Ah! I know how to programme in C. However, K and R forgot an essential component in their system design. "world" does not reply. A heavy silence ensues. Communication with "world" is nonexistent.

Tim Berners-Lee of CERN knew better how to design and create an information system using a few thousand or so computers all tied up in a net. The World Wide Web. Reaction to this system is very favorable. For example:

Howard Flack and A. D. Rae, Outback Perth, 1987.

From Brian McMahon, February 4, 1994

I've just had a very quick glance at the crystallography section of your W3 server - it looks *very* nice under mosaic.

From Christian Baerlocher, March 18, 1994

Howard Flack has drawn my attention to the World Wide Web (abbreviated WWW or W3), which is an information distribution system developed at CERN and now also widely used in other areas (including the IUCr). It is based on the Internet. WWW is a fantastic way of browsing through all kinds of files which can contain not only text, but also pictures (still and animated) and sound. The software is really easy to use. Just point and click. There is good software available for the Mac as well as for Xwindows. Have Fun!

From Yvon LePage, April 15, 1994

Subject: I tried WWW. It's super!!! We are getting organized to put ACA'95 on it.

There will be a demonstration of WWW at the SGK 1994 meeting in Les Diablerets, September 21-22, 1994. If you can not wait until then to know more about WWW, e-mail me on flack@scsun.unige.ch. Tomorrow I am off for three days to the First World Wide Web conference at CERN. In Les Diablerets I will tell you what I found out there. Reference: The C Programming Language by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie (1978), Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.