14 October 2009 | Author: Katie Todd
The two forward slashes that have apparently enraged millions of web users at some point in their internet career have finally had their purpose explained by their creator, Sir Tim Berners-Lee - the British scientist whose code transformed a private computer network into an online universe 20 years ago.
However, the answer may only prove to infuriate some users further - because there is no purpose to those two familiar forward slashes that so many seem to grudge typing.
According to The Times, Berners-Lee admitted that there was no point to the //, saying that if he could redo his creation of the URL, he would have omitted them. Speaking at a symposium focussed on the future of technology in Washington DC, he said: "Really, if you think about it, it doesn't need the //. I could have designed it not to have the //."
He confessed that he had no idea how much irritation the two keystrokes would incite and humorously held up his index finger, telling the crowd: "People are having to use that finger so much."
However, the achievements of the physicist by far outweigh such an insignificant blunder. After all, the internet has changed the lives of millions of people, making way for a huge shift in our understanding of the world around us and letting people access information and news they could never dream of gaining otherwise.
Following his admission, Berners-Lee shrugged it off casually. "There you go," he told the audience. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Creator of the internet Berners-Lee apologises for slashes
The two forward slashes that have apparently enraged millions of web users at some point in their internet career have finally had their purpose explained by their creator, Sir Tim Berners-Lee - the British scientist whose code transformed a private computer network into an online universe 20 years ago. However, the answer may only prove to infuriate some users further - because there is no purpose to those two familiar forward slashes that so many seem to grudge typing.
According to The Times, Berners-Lee admitted that there was no point to the //, saying that if he could redo his creation of the URL, he would have omitted them. Speaking at a symposium focussed on the future of technology in Washington DC, he said: "Really, if you think about it, it doesn't need the //. I could have designed it not to have the //."
He confessed that he had no idea how much irritation the two keystrokes would incite and humorously held up his index finger, telling the crowd: "People are having to use that finger so much."
However, the achievements of the physicist by far outweigh such an insignificant blunder. After all, the internet has changed the lives of millions of people, making way for a huge shift in our understanding of the world around us and letting people access information and news they could never dream of gaining otherwise.
Following his admission, Berners-Lee shrugged it off casually. "There you go," he told the audience. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
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