From the Web to the Grid and Beyond

Born after World War II, large-scale experimental high-energy physics (hep) has been constantly limited ever since by available accelerator, detector and computing technologies. Accordingly, hep has contributed very significantly to the development of these fields, driving them more often than not through innovations. The invention of the world wide web at CERN is only the best known example out of many. This book is the first comprehensive account that sets out to trace the history of this pioneering spirit in the field of computing technologies, up to and including the present day handling of the huge demands imposed upon grid and distributed computing by full-scale LHC operations - operations which, since many years, involve many thousands of collaboration members worldwide and accordingly provide the original and natural testbed for grid computing concepts. The book will take the reader on a guided tour encompassing all relevant topics, including programming languages, software engineering, large databases, the web, grid and cloud computing. The important issue of intellectual property regulations for distributed software engineering and computing is also adressed. The book aptly closes with a visionary chapter of what may lie ahead. Approachable and requiring only basic understanding of physics and computer sciences, this book is intended for both education and research.