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The protocol was never inferred from the hostname. The reason web servers were called "www" is that they were first introduced on institutional IP networks amon
by theoh 12y ago
The protocol was never inferred from the hostname. The reason web servers were called "www" is that they were first introduced on institutional IP networks among other servers and workstations. www was typically an alias for one of the multi-purpose servers, as ftp or smtp were.
- brandonhsiao 12y agoI meant that humans inferred the protocol from the hostname, and that now most people by default just thinks of a host as a url to put into a browser.
- theoh 12y agoOk, but remember that URL syntax was invented with the web. Before the URL existed it was conventional to write "available via FTP from quiz.baz.com" (or "via gopher" or whatever.) In the pre-"eternal september" days people were happy to use that formula even though it was a bit long-winded. I can't figure out a way to check for exceptions to that rule but it was the prevalent form of words.