Links are not a detail
Connections determine how people and systems find, classify and relate content to other content.
A journey through the world of web development
Join a journey from the idea of what later became known as hypertext,
through the first hypertext systems to today’s web.
Understand the origins of hypertext and thus of the web itself.
Development of hypertext systems
From the beginnings to the modern day
1945
Memex
Introduced in Vannevar Bush’s article ‘As We May Think’ in The Atlantic
The Memex, presented by Vannevar Bush in 1945, is a visionary concept that laid the foundation for hypertext and modern web development. It describes a machine that links and organizes information, similar to today’s digital databases and links
1960
Xanadu
The project began in the 1960s, but the first published system appeared in 1988
Xanadu was a revolutionary project by Ted Nelson aimed at implementing a transclusive hypertext system. It influenced many subsequent technologies and offered a visionary perspective on linking information in the digital realm
1968
oN-Line System (NLS)
See Augment: NLS was the official name of the system demonstrated in the ‘Mother of All Demos’
Douglas Engelbart’s groundbreaking system featuring the mouse and interactive text editing—pillars of modern interaction.
1968
Augment
Presented by Douglas Engelbart in the legendary ‘Mother of All Demos’, which showcased groundbreaking concepts such as hypertext, the mouse, and collaborative work
An early hypertext system extending human intellect—a milestone for interaction with digital systems.
1980
Enquire
Developed by Tim Berners-Lee during his time at CERN as a precursor to the World Wide Web
Berners-Lee’s first hypertext system that concretized linked information and inspired the Web.
1980
Tangle
Experimental system by Tim Berners-Lee
Further developed ideas from Enquire focusing on representing complex information networks.
1987
HyperCard
Introduced by Apple—enabled easy creation of linked content
A tool to create interactive, linked content—a forerunner of many modern web apps.
1989
World Wide Web
Concept in 1989; first website online in 1991
Berners-Lee’s hypertext system that popularized linked information and revolutionized access to knowledge.
Why Hypertext Matters
The Foundation of Modern Web Development
Before the web existed, the idea of hypertext emerged: linking information together.
This concept forms the origin of what we know today as the internet and modern web development.
Understanding the history of hypertext also reveals the foundations on which HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other web technologies are built.
What hypertext means today
From links and SEO to clean information architecture
SEO starts with structure
If you understand hypertext, you also understand why internal linking, semantics and context matter for search engines.
Problems often start with structure
Unclear navigation, chaotic page relations and missing hierarchies are rarely design issues. They are structure issues.
Development of the Information Network
From static websites to artificial intelligence
1990er
Web 1.0
Static pages, HTML and basic CSS
Web 1.0 was mainly document-centered. Users could read information but had little possibility to create their own content.
2000er
Web 2.0
Social networks, JavaScript, AJAX
With Web 2.0, the internet became more interactive. Users could now create, comment, and share content.
2010er
Web 3.0
Semantic Web, APIs, Linked Data
In Web 3.0, data is at the center. Information is better connected and machine-readable, enabling intelligent applications.
2020er
Web 4.0
Intelligent systems, AI, personalized experiences
Web 4.0 combines artificial intelligence with the internet. The goal is a self-learning, context-aware and highly personalized web.
Every web phase solves one problem and creates another
Progress on the web is always a trade-off
Web 1.0
Static pages made knowledge accessible, but users could barely react, participate or shape what happened.
Web 2.0
Interaction became easier, but platforms gained massive control over content, reach and data.
Web 3.0
Data became more structured and connected, but also more complex, harder to model and often harder to use well.
Web 4.0
Context and AI promise better systems, but they also raise new questions about dependency, traceability and quality.
Web Basics
The building blocks everything relies on
The modern web is built on a set of core technologies that define its structure and functionality.
HTML provides the backbone by structuring content, CSS handles design and layout, while JavaScript enables interactivity and dynamic behavior.
Together, these tools form the foundation on which every website and web application is created.
Milestones of web development
Insights into modern web development
2010
Single Page Applications (SPA)
Seamless UX without full page reloads
Dynamic, interactive apps with asynchronous loading—popularized by frameworks like React and Vue.
2011
Web Components
Reusable, cross-platform UI building blocks
Custom HTML elements reusable across apps; enabled by standards like Shadow DOM and Custom Elements.
2011
WebRTC
Real-time communication in the browser
Audio, video and data without plugins—a cornerstone of modern communication tools.
2015
Progressive Web Apps (PWA)
Fast, reliable and cross-platform
Combine the strengths of websites and native apps: offline, push notifications and app-like UX in the browser.
2015
Service Worker and Web Push
Offline features and notifications
Enable offline access and real-time notifications—powering robust PWAs.
2015
Jamstack
Architecture for fast, secure sites
Decouples frontend and backend, combining static delivery with dynamic APIs for performance and security.
2015
Brotli compression
Higher compression than Gzip
Faster loads thanks to more efficient compression and reduced data usage.
2017
WebAssembly (WASM)
High performance on the web
Enables near-native performance by running compiled code (e.g. C++/Rust) in the browser.
2018
HTTP/3 and QUIC
More efficient connections via UDP
Faster, more stable connections with lower latency—especially on mobile networks.
2021
Privacy Sandbox
Privacy initiative for a cookie-less web
Aims to improve privacy without third-party cookies while still enabling relevant ads.
2022
WebTransport
Real-time data over UDP
Enables high-performance real-time communication for games, streaming and more.
2022
Container Query CSS
More flexibility for responsive design
Apply rules based on container size rather than viewport—significantly better layout control.
2023
WebGPU
Modern replacement for WebGL
Direct GPU access for 3D and ML in the browser—vastly improved performance.
Why modern technologies exist
New tools appear because old limits hurt
Modern web development is interesting, but above all it is a response to real bottlenecks. The key question is not only what is new, but which problem it is meant to solve.
SPA
Single Page Applications were created to make interaction smoother. In return, navigation, initial load and SEO became much harder.
HTTP/3
HTTP/3 exists because TCP and classic connections hit limits under latency and packet loss. QUIC addresses that exact pain.
WebGPU
WebGPU is not just another API label. It answers the need for more graphics and compute power directly inside the browser.
TTT: Tips—Tricks—Tools
Web development blog
Discover the origins of web development in this blog and get useful tips, link collections, blog posts as well as digital documents and video courses to dive deeper into the topic.
From the document-centric static Web 1.0, to a social Web 2.0 and semantic Web 3.0, all the way to an intelligent Web 4.0.
Explore how modern web development is shaped today: learn about the latest technologies and trends, get practical guidance and access to valuable resources like tools, frameworks and online communities to help take your projects to the next level.