The Proto-Web
http://nytimes.com/2008/06/17/science/17mund.html
Apparently, Paul Otlet came up with what is arguably the first iteration of the World Wide Web in 1934, the Mundaneum. Located in Belgium, it’s comprised of millions of 3 by 5 index cards stored in thousands of boxes. It never fully took off because of funding problems and the German invasion of Belgium during the World War. The article doesn’t describe in full detail how the system is implemented, but one thing that stands out is its revised version of hypertext, which differs from standard hypertext in that a link can indicate whether or not other links are similar to itself. Professor Buckland describes the Semantic Web as being “rather Otlet-ish.” The ill-lived story of the Mundaneum could prove to be a lesson to learn about the Semantic Web and whether or not it will fail depending on the way that it is structured and the labor that it will require.
Relevant Lecture: The Semantic Web
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