Building Node Applications with MongoDB and Backbone

Chapter 2. Node.js

The Internet of today is different from the Internet of 1990 and 2000. In the “old days,” the interaction between a user and a website was very much oriented toward consumption. The web server would generate largely static pages and the user would navigate between them. There were of course dynamic elements but the interfaction flow was largely limited to request and reply. Years of research have gone into optimizing that client-server flow—it’s safe to say that it’s well understood at this point in time.

Around the time Internet Explorer 6 started to appear, a subtle but fundamental shift was beginning to take hold. Internet users were becoming more comfortable and savvy online, computers were becoming far more powerful, and broadband connections were starting to become the norm. Instead of using the Internet primarily for information and transactions, people were spending more time online for socializing and entertainment. The Internet is now a media channel, but unlike the television, radio, and newspapers before it.

Instead of consuming data, web users are now producing it in volumes never imagined. The traditional notion of web servers and browsers as consumers is still present, but understanding it provides only a glimpse into what publishers are able to accomplish. The focus now is on putting people in control of their experience, and leveraging the data they create to change, improve, and enhance that experience in real time. This is a new world ...