Why are missing pages called 'Error 404'?

[Coloroscopio]

 

When the World Wide Web first began to take shape in the early 1990s, the need for a standardized system to handle misplaced or missing web pages quickly became apparent. Enter the 404 error code—a seemingly innocuous three-digit number that has since become one of the internet's most recognizable and oft-encountered messages.

 

The origins of the 404 code can be traced back to the development of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), the foundational language that governs the exchange of data between web browsers and servers. As the internet rapidly expanded, web developers required a way to signal when a requested resource could not be located. The 404 error, which stands for “Not Found,” was introduced as part of the HTTP 1.0 specification in 1996 to fulfill this need.

 

In the world of computer programming, numbers are often used to represent specific states or conditions, with each digit carrying its own significance. The 4 in 404 denotes a client-side error, indicating that the problem lies with the user’s request rather than the server. Meanwhile, the subsequent digits, 04, pinpoint a specific type of client error: a resource not found.

 

This particular code was chosen as a way to differentiate between various client-side errors. For instance, a "403 Forbidden" error suggests that the client is not authorized to access the resource, while a "401 Unauthorized" error indicates that the client needs to provide authentication credentials. The "404" error, on the other hand, is a clear and concise message indicating that the requested resource simply doesn't exist on the server.

 

Whether internet users like it or not, encountering a 404 page has become a rite of passage, be it through a broken link, a misspelled URL, or a website that no longer exists.

 

• https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/404-status-code 
• https://www.semrush.com/blog/what-does-error-404-not-found-mean 
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/404-errors 

 

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