Jim Rapoza over at eWeek has put together a list of 30 Top Web Technologies of All Time.
As with any such list, you have to start asking, how could you forget….? Also, it seems to be a broad definition of "technologies" that include XML, Dreamweaver & HTTP (markup languages, software and protocols, respectively).
So, although this is a good list….
I definitely have an issue with including Blogger, but not TypePad or WordPress. In my mind, although there are many great blogs on Blogger, Blogger is killing the Web by generating thousands of splogs a day.
And how come there’s no email tools here? Is that considered outside the Web? Well, then how about a Web mail solution?
How about AOL, which brought the Internet to the masses? Or even Compuserve?
And Jim’s probably right about IE3 winning the browser wars, but I remember that as being a crap browser and Netscape 3 outperforming it and having more market share. It was the 4th generation (in my faulty memory) that IE offered a better browsing experience.
How about QuickTime, RealPlayer or Windows Media Player? Although early video was the size of a postage stamp, these technologies showed us a YouTube future. (Yes, Flash made the list.)
How about compression techniques like .gif, .jpg or more recently .png? Could you imagine load times over a dial-up without these types of compression types?
And if you’re including PHP, shouldn’t you also consider Cold Fusion or ASP?
Oh, and how about AltaVista, Excite or Google? Those don’t get top honors? Without search the Web couldn’t have grown the way it did.
I agree absolutely about Google – it's really become where people start on the internet. Skype could also be on the list, despite being very new.
Having said all that – you write earlier about the power of polarising opinion. I think lists like this are link-bait to polarise bloggers!