Tim Berners-Lee proposes the World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee presents his proposal for the World Wide Web to CERN colleagues, outlining a revolutionary system for sharing information across networks.
Setting
A modest office at CERN, Meyrin, Switzerland. The room is filled with technical equipment, computers, and stacks of papers. A large whiteboard dominates one wall, covered in diagrams and notes about hypertext and networking protocols.
Characters
Tim Berners-Lee
primary
A slender man with a thoughtful demeanor, in his mid-30s. He has short, dark brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes are bright and inquisitive, often darting between his notes and his colleagues as he explains his ideas. His posture is slightly hunched from hours spent at his desk, but his movements are precise and deliberate.
Robert Cailliau
primary
A middle-aged Belgian engineer with a lean, wiry build, standing at about 5'10" with short, slightly tousled dark brown hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. His sharp, intelligent eyes are framed by rectangular glasses, and he has a habit of gesturing animatedly when discussing technical details.
Systems Engineer
secondary
A young man in his late 20s, of average height with a lean build. His short, dark hair is slightly tousled from hours spent working, and his practical glasses perch on his nose. His hands are calloused from handling hardware, and his focused gaze suggests technical expertise.
Visiting Scientist
background
A middle-aged man with a lean build, short brown hair streaked with grey, and frameless glasses perched on his nose. He has a studious demeanor and wears a lab coat over his casual attire.
Dialog
Tim Berners-Lee
Imagine this, Robert—what if every document, every piece of knowledge, could be linked instantly, like threads in a vast web?
Robert Cailliau
Interesting, but how do you propose handling the protocols? The existing systems are already straining under current demands.
Tim Berners-Lee
We’d need a universal identifier—something like ‘http’ to mark the location, and ‘html’ to structure the content. Simple, extensible.
Robert Cailliau
Simple, perhaps. But getting the entire scientific community to adopt it—that’s another matter. CERN alone has layers of bureaucracy.
Tim Berners-Lee
Then we start small. A prototype—just enough to demonstrate the concept. Once people see the potential, they’ll come around.
Robert Cailliau
Alright. But we’ll need to document every step meticulously. If this is going to work, it has to be bulletproof.
Tim Berners-Lee
Exactly. And if we get this right, Robert—this could change everything.