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Sir Tim Berners-Lee, one of the architects of the World Wide Web, is selling the source code to the original web browser as NFT (via the BBC). The auction, run by Sothebys, will include not only the code for the WorldWideWeb browser, but also a letter from Berners-Lee himself, a vector file that could be printed as a poster, and a 30-minute silent video depicting the code in phase typing. According to a press release from Sothebys, the proceeds will benefit the causes supported by Berners-Lee and his wife.
The auctioned code contains elements of the web that many of us are familiar with today, including functions to parse and view HTML documents, rudimentary style support, HTTP protocol, and even the ability to print a web page.
Berners-Lee seems to think NFTs are a natural fit for code in the press release, he says NFTs are the latest playful creations on the internet and the ideal way to pack the origins behind the web. In an interview with the Financial Times, he compares the NFT to an autographed book, which just makes me imagine how much more interesting this project would be if he instead auctioned the code on a signed box of magneto-optical discs that would be used. from the NeXT Computer that used to write it.
The NFT buyer may have trouble actually running the first version of WorldWideWeb. As Ars Technica points out, there is a very early copy of the source code available on the web today (which Sothebys says is similar to the code sold in the NFT, but not the original), and it seems difficult to compile according to the CERN WorldWideWeb site. Even if the buyer activated the original browser, there are likely still a few valuable websites that would work well with it.
Arguably, the web as we know it was made possible by the fact that Berners-Lee decided not to patent or charge for the use of his idea, letting anyone with the technical know-how (and computer resources) design their own site. web. It’s easy to see, then, why some would find creating an exclusive NFT to be a bit of an odd choice for Tim Berners-Lee, in addition to environmental concerns around the technology. According to the Financial Times, it will be the first time it will directly profit from its creation, even though it says it will not hold that money alone.
If you’d like to see an approximation of the original Berners-Lees browser, CERN has a replica that you can run directly in your modern web browser (although accessing websites from it doesn’t seem to work at the moment). If you’re really looking to hit the NFT, the Sothebys auction runs from June 23-30, with bids starting at $ 1,000.
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