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In 1989, British Computer Scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee created something that would change the world forever. He made, you guessed it, the World Wide Web (WWW) that made the internet as we know it possible.
In a very interesting development today, Berners-Lee has decided that he"d make a pretty historic offer by auctioning the web"s source code off in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT). Here"s what Sir Tim has said:
Three decades ago, I created something which, with the subsequent help of a huge number of collaborators across the world, has been a powerful tool for humanity. For me, the best bit about the web has been the spirit of collaboration. While I do not make predictions about the future, I sincerely hope its use, knowledge and potential will remain open and available to us all to continue to innovate, create and initiate the next technological transformation, that we cannot yet imagine. NFTs, be they artworks or a digital artefact like this, are the latest playful creations in this realm, and the most appropriate means of ownership that exists. They are the ideal way to package the origins behind the web.
The NFT quite aptly named "This Changed Everything" will consist of:
- The original time-stamped files containing the source code,
- A moving visualization of the around 9,500 lines of the code,
- A letter written by Lee that describes how the code was created, and
- A digital “poster” of the full code recreated from the original files using Python.
The sale will begin on 23 June at 2.00 pm EDT and last through the 30th. It will take place at Sotheby’s Auction House and the bids will start at $1,000. You can find more information about this upcoming event here.