Web technology has grown so rapidly that it is hard for interested readers to learn and keep up with the techniques. This book describes, not only the underlying areas from which Internet technology derives its solutions, but also the specific solutions to important applications on the World Wide Web. It covers the basics of Web technology while maintaining a specialist interest, aiming to be of use to both the interested amateur and experienced professionals working in this field. The text ranges from fundamental areas such as information retrieval and data markup to applications such as searchng, instant messaging, mobile access and web services, assimilating the different technologies that make up the foundation of Web technology.