errore 404 page not found

Why is the 404 error called that? The history and meaning of “Page not found”

THE’404 errori.e. the one that returns the message “Page Not Found” (i.e. “page not found”), is a standard protocol response code HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), which warns the user that the requested web page was not found. It occurs when a browser communicates correctly with a server, but the latter is unable to locate the specified resource, often because it has been moved or deleted without updating the link that allows it to be found, thus causing an client side error.

Contrary to a legend that spread in the early 2000s, therefore, this code does not derive from a phantom “room 404” of CERNthe research center where the world Wide Web. Rather, it was simply assigned arbitrarily, as explained by Robert CailliauBelgian computer scientist who, together with Tim Berners-Leeco-invented the Web. The numbering system was designed to be efficient, avoiding long, complex messages in an age when memory space was limited. So, the 404 error is just part of the technical language of the Web, which over time has become a recognizable symbol of a missing page.

Error 404: what happens when it appears and what it means

When you surf the web and encounter a 404 error, it means that the server received your request, but didn’t find the page you were looking for. This can happen if, for example, the link was misspelled or if the searched page has been removed and the link has not been updated by the website administrator. The error itself is returned in the form of a web page with the message 404 – Page Not Found or similar, but these keywords do not necessarily appear.

Often the message is accompanied by a creative design, humorous messages or images that have some relevance to the site visited (if you were to encounter a 404 error on Geopop, for example, you would see a meteorite next to the error message).

Error 404
Example of 404 error.

From a technical point of view, the HTTP system uses three-digit codes to report various communication states. In the case of the 404 error, the first “4” indicates a client side errorwhile the remaining part of the error code, lo “04” in fact, it specifically represents the problem of a page not found. For the record, the server side errorsor those attributable to the latter, are marked by codes starting with “5”. This scheme is inspired by previous network protocols such as the lightest FTP (File Transfer Protocol), where three-digit numeric codes were already in use to indicate communications status.

The legend of “room 404” at CERN is unfounded

There legend of “room 404” at CERNaccording to which the error code in question was chosen as a “tribute” to the latter, is clearly unfounded. For some strange reason, however, in the early 2000s this theory took hold and spread significantly. Perhaps there are many who still believe it today.

This hypothesis essentially claimed that a phantom room 404 present at CERN hosted the first Web servers and also the office of Tim Berners-Lee. The latter, since he was not always able to find his office, decided to give the error the room number, precisely for the reason in question. We must admit that the story actually has a fascinating, almost romantic flavor… too bad, however, that it is totally false! And this is stated by a more than reliable source: Robert Cailliaucolleague of Tim Berners-Lee and, together with him, inventor of the World Wide Web. In an interview with Wired USA, Cailliau explained:

When you write code for a new system, you don’t spend too much time writing long messages for situations where you encounter an error. (…) Modern geeks no longer have any idea what it meant to program with 64k of memory. 404 has never been connected to any room or physical location at CERN. This is a complete myth.