Also known by the acronym W3C on ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, World Wide Web Consortium is an international community where member organizations, a full-time work team, and the public work together to develop web standards. Led by the creator of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, and CEO Jeffrey Jaffe, its mission is to bring the web to its full potential, through the development of protocols and guidelines that ensure its long-term growth.
Brief history
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was founded in October of 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee at the Laboratory for Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In April of 1995 the French Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA) became the first host of the W3C in Europe, followed by Japan ‘s Keio University in Asia in 1996. In 2003, the European Research Consortium in Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) replaced INRIA.
Principles governing the work of the W3C
A website for everyone
The social value of the web is that it allows human communication, commerce, and opportunities to share (the) knowledge. One of the main goals of W3C is to achieve these benefits for people, regardless of hardware, software, network infrastructure, native language, culture, geographic location, or physical or mental capacity.
A website for / in everything
The number of different types of gadgets that can access the web has grown immensely. Mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants, voice response systems, kiosks, and even certain home appliances can access the web.
Vision
W3C’s vision for the web includes participating, sharing knowledge, and thereby building trust on a global scale.
The web for rich interaction
The web was created as a communication tool that allows anyone, anywhere, to share information. For many years the web was a ‘read only’ tool for many. The blogs and wikis brought more authors to the web, and social networks have emerged from the burgeoning market for customized web experience and content. The W3C standards have supported this evolution thanks to strong architecture and design principles.
The web of data / information and services
Some people see the web as a giant repository of linked data, while others see the web as a giant set of services that exchange messages.
The web of trust
The web has transformed the way people communicate with each other. Thus, it has also modified the nature of social relations. People now “meet on the web” and develop personal and business relationships, in some cases without even knowing each other personally. The W3C recognizes that trust is a social phenomenon, but technological design can create trust and security.
Organizational structure
– Director: Tim Berners-Lee
– Executive: Dr. Jeffrey Jaffe
– Administratively:
“Host Institutions”: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (United States), European Research Consortium in Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) (France), Keio University (Japan)
– Processes: Advisory Committee, Advisory Council, Technical Architecture Group, Principal Groups
Processes
Most of the W3C’s work revolves around the standardization of web technologies. To meet this goal, W3C follows processes that promote the development of high-quality standards based on community consensus. All members have a stake in the development of the W3C standards, both large and small, as well as the public. W3C processes promote cleanliness, sensitivity, and progress.
Patent Policy
In February of 2004, W3C adopted a policy of patents to validate continuous innovation and the widespread adoption of Web standards developed by the W3C. This policy is designed to: –
facilitate the development of the W3C Recommendations by the W3C Working Groups.
-promote the wide implementation of these Recommendations on a Royalty-Free (RF) basis
-address patent-related issues that arise during and after the development of a Recommendation
International participation
Organizations from all over the world and involved in the most different matters collaborate with the W3C in the creation of web standards. W3C and its team have earned international recognition for their contributions to the web.
It has regional offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, China, South Korea, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Morocco, Namibia, Holland, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, Swaziland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Its international performance is based on:
- Links with national, regional, and international organizations around the world. These contacts help W3C maintain a culture of global participation in the development of the World Wide Web.
- Translations of web standards and other materials, governed by a policy of authorized translations.
- W3C’s internationalization activity helps ensure that the web is available to people.