Fundamentals of Web Development and Computer History

Understanding Websites and HTML

A website is a document written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language). It is a system that allows us to format text using tags. A web page can be composed of images, sounds, videos, and animations. HTML is a language focused on the transmission of documents using the HTTP protocol.

A website is a collection of pages linked together. These are viewed through programs called browsers, which interpret the tags added to the text, such as:

• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Opera

HTML uses two types of labels: opening (<tag>) and closing (</tag>). A website consists of a header and a body. Common tags include:

• Header: <h1>
• Paragraph: <p>
• Bold: <b>
• Italic: <i>
• Underlined: <u>
• Horizontal Line: <hr>

A WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor is a program that displays the document exactly as it will appear once published.

Programming Concepts

Programs are instructions that tell electronic components what to do and how to do it. A computer uses binary language, also known as machine language. Programming languages are applications that allow humans to create instructions understandable by machines. An object is a logical entity that contains data and the methods used to manipulate that data (e.g., C, C++, Delphi, Java, PHP, Visual Basic).

• Procedure: A separate code block that tells the program what to do (functions return a value, while subroutines perform an action).
• Variables: Letters or words that store or represent different values based on specific conditions.
• Constants: Data with a fixed value.

Computer History

1. The Era of Vacuum Tubes

1944: The Mark I, the first large-scale computer built by IBM, is introduced. It performed addition in 1s, multiplication in 6s, and division in 12s.

2. The Transistor Revolution

Vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors. 1960: Removable disks appear. FORTRAN and COBOL are introduced. 1964: The BASIC language is created.

3. Integrated Circuits

The invention of the integrated circuit simplified programming languages significantly.

4. The Microprocessor Age

Basic circuits were integrated onto a single chip. 1971: Intel launches its first microprocessor. 1973: The first IBM hard disk is released. 1974: Intel introduces the CPU. 1977: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak develop the first personal computer. 1981: The first IBM laptop is released.

5. Mass Adoption

Computers enter homes en masse. 1984: Apple introduces the computer mouse and GUI. 1985: Microsoft launches Windows. Moore's Law is established (1975).