The web has been with us for 30 years, WebExpo will focus on its future
30 years ago at CERN, they did not just study the origin of the universe. When Tim-Berners Lee launched here on August 6, 1991 first website, experienced his big bang and the web here. And it will celebrate its thirtieth birthday at WebExpo – the largest technology conference in Central Europe. Today, she presented her official program 13th year, which will take place in Prague’s Lucerna from September 21 to 23. This time, WebExpo will welcome 70 Czech and world technology celebrities. For the first time, open source guru Daniel Sternberg, the founder of the cURL tool, which we all use every day, will introduce himself in Prague. The domestic legend Jan Gruntorád, who connected the Czechia to the Internet, will also perform. However, there will not be much space for nostalgia, WebExpo will focus on the future – another 30 years of the web.
When we visit the first website today, it’s hard to believe where we’ve moved in thirty years. The Internet is used by almost 5 billion people, half of whom have a Facebook account. We stream over 1.5 million songs to Spotify every minute, and upload 5,000 hours of videos to YouTub in one minute. And last year, thanks to our website and the Internet, we managed to work in a bathrobe from the comfort of our homes and stay in touch with friends despite the global pandemic. And it all started with a page with barely 150 words and 25 hyperlinks.
“Information technology has changed our lives and 30 years of the web is about looking back at how information technology has changed,” says WebExpa director Šárka Štrossová. “After a one-year coronavirus break, stars from previous years such as Harry Roberts, Vitaly Friedman and Tim Kadlec will return to WebExpo, but we will also welcome new guests such as the legendary Daniel Sternberg. We will traditionally enjoy our speakers in Prague’s Lucerna and untraditionally via an online stream, so that every fan of technology can listen to them. “
The popular regulars will perform and a world legend will be introduced
Among the confirmed speakers are the stars of previous years. Among the most popular are web performance engineer and consultant Harry Roberts, who helps Google, the UN, the BBC or the Financial Times speed up websites. Another returnee, acclaimed consultant Tim Kadlec, will show participants how to clean JavaScript from unnecessary ballast and optimize the running of the entire site. Vitaly Friedman, a popular co-founder of the online magazine Smashing Magazine, will return with his lecture on designing unpopular web forms and a full-day workshop on problems with designing responsive AI.
However, the central star of the program will arrive at the Prague WebExpo for the first time. Swedish developer Daniel Sternberg has been involved in network protocols for over twenty years and has developed Mozilla’s iconic Firefox browser. But he became most famous for his own project cURL (Client URL). He has been working on this library and utility for data transmission using various network protocols since 1997 and has won, among other things, the Swedish Polhem Prize, which is handed over by the King of Sweden for technological innovation or ingenious solution to a high-level technical problem.
The participants will be introduced to the design strategist and renowned researcher Indi Young, who is a pioneer of research methods such as opportunity maps, diagrams of mental models or styles of thinking. Cassie Evans, a creative developer focusing on web animation and scalable vector graphics (SVG), will also speak for the first time at the conference. He not only teaches and lectures about web animation, but also deals with its performance optimization and the general absence of creativity in frontend development.
The legend of the domestic scene, Jan Gruntorád, who in 1992 connected the Czech Republic to the Internet with his team at CTU, will also perform. “I’m really looking forward to WebExpo because of the other guests who come from all over the world and have something to say about the future of the Internet. The beginnings of the Internet and, of course, the Web need to be reminded of the young generation. Both the Internet and the Web were initially developed for use in the scientific community, but have changed greatly over the last 30 years. Thousands of engineers from all over the world have worked and continue to work on the further development of the Internet. It is amazing to have a conference in the Czech Republic that commemorates this and develops new visions, ” says Jan Gruntorád.
WebExpo is the longest-running technology event in the Czech Republic and the largest technology event in Central Europe. The thirteenth year of the conference will take place on 21-23. September in Prague’s Lucerna and will be streamed online. The conference program includes 70 experts in design, frontend and backend development, research, analytics, marketing and management. Tickets are already on sale.
