The Internet
The 1990s was a period of time in which technological advancements in science and technology flourished. These industries of the future saw notable growth throughout the decade that allowed America to evolve into the “modern” technological era. The concept of the World Wide Web was first proposed in 1989 by Sir Tim Bernes Lee while he was working for the European Organization for Nuclear Research. It wasn’t until 1990 that his original document of hypertext grew into the markup HTML language. The desktop publishing system “LaTex” allowed Bernes Lee to create a system where the programmer on one side of the website saw the code; while the visitor of that same website would only see what the programmer wanted them to see. The original “markup” system was easy to navigate and utilize. By using this technique the emerging programmer field could build whatever they wanted, expanding new horizons into the world of the internet. The “Web” as it became known, was created when a complex system of host servers were all interlinked. Once the first client applications came online, the web browser was born.
Microsoft quickly became a dominant factor in the race to own the internet. They were the first to release easy to navigate software programs, known as Windows 95 and Windows 98, to a market of excited consumers. Both programs became an instant hit. Coupled with the development of the web browsers, Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, the World Wide Web was becoming far more advanced and user friendly. In 1998, Google was created by two scholars at Stanford University. Millions of Americans were beginning to buy into the electronic era. Major E-commerce websites began to appear. Companies like Amazon, eBay, AOL, and Yahoo take full advantage of the new ability to reach anyone in the world by the touch of a button. Everything was beginning to turn digital. E-mail became extremely popular as friends and family could be connected. This led to the emergence of instant messaging in America. The “buddy list” model of AIM and ICQ set the stage for social media, allowing people to connect and use the internet for reasons other then business. American life became so reliant on the internet and on computers, that doomsday oracles pronounced that a massive computer glitch expected to occur on January 1, 2000. This became known as Y2K.
Microsoft quickly became a dominant factor in the race to own the internet. They were the first to release easy to navigate software programs, known as Windows 95 and Windows 98, to a market of excited consumers. Both programs became an instant hit. Coupled with the development of the web browsers, Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, the World Wide Web was becoming far more advanced and user friendly. In 1998, Google was created by two scholars at Stanford University. Millions of Americans were beginning to buy into the electronic era. Major E-commerce websites began to appear. Companies like Amazon, eBay, AOL, and Yahoo take full advantage of the new ability to reach anyone in the world by the touch of a button. Everything was beginning to turn digital. E-mail became extremely popular as friends and family could be connected. This led to the emergence of instant messaging in America. The “buddy list” model of AIM and ICQ set the stage for social media, allowing people to connect and use the internet for reasons other then business. American life became so reliant on the internet and on computers, that doomsday oracles pronounced that a massive computer glitch expected to occur on January 1, 2000. This became known as Y2K.