ITEMInformation Transmission Evolution MapA visual history of human information
Organisation

CERN

CERN’s large international research community created the information-management problem that Tim Berners-Lee addressed with the World Wide Web, then helped the system spread by releasing core Web software without royalties.

Type
laboratory or research institution
Founded
1954
Location
Geneva region, Switzerland and France
Known for
World Wide Web
Historical role

What the organisation contributed

Tim Berners-Lee's 1989 proposal addressed information loss and organisational fragmentation at CERN.

Why it mattered

Makes independently hosted information globally addressable, linkable, retrievable and publishable through interoperable clients and servers.

Connected topics

Where this fits in ITEM

World Wide Web
Evidence

Sources and further reading

  1. Information Management: A Proposal, CERN, March 1989

    Tim Berners-Lee · 1989

    Open source ↗

  2. Licensing the Web: public releases of Web software, including the 30 April 1993 statement

    CERN · 1993

    Open source ↗

  3. WorldWideWeb: Proposal for a HyperText Project, CERN, November 1990

    Tim Berners-Lee, Robert Cailliau · 1990

    Open source ↗