Introduction

The internet, and later the web, grew out of necessity, providing a simple and effective mechanism for sharing information - starting with e-mail, later growing to include news groups, but confined to the US defence and university sectors. The internet can thus be traced back to the early 70's at least. The advent of the Web in the late 80's and early 90's - enabling collaborative global research by providing a means for hyperlinking documents and transmitting media-rich information, including graphics and sound - was soon followed by a world-wide explosion of the net, as it moved into the private and commercial sectors. The Net is now commercialising at an exponential rate.

Cycad Web Works has emerged to develop and harness the enormous potential this new technology promises.