Behind The Code 404 — July 20, 2007
Anyone using the Internet must have at least hit on this page once. It’s the most famous HTTP response status code of all time: 404 file not found. Modern web browsers don’t show all HTTP response codes for obvious reasons, although there is one for every HTTP request. Technically, all the response codes are categorizes in to classes determined by the first digit. For instance 1xx is for information, 2xx for success, 3xx for redirection and so forth. This Wikipedia article lists the HTTP response status codes and associated meanings in detail, specified by RFC 2616.
But why 404? Doesn’t its odd symmetry and appearance make you wonder? Doesn’t it bare the characteristics of a hidden story behind the code? Perhaps there is; or perhaps it could have been just inadvertently coined. I Googled to find out.
According to Room 404 website, the number was named after a room at CERN, where the concepts of the WWW (or Internet in this regard) were originally made. The central database was situated in an office on the fourth floor at CERN which was numbered as Room 404. A request for a file was sent to this room and an operator manually located the file and sent it to the person over the network. If the file could not be located then the request was given the response: “Room 404: file not found”. Read the full story at Room 404 for the fulfillment of inspiration. Sounds convincing isn’t it?
However the 404 Research Lab website page on the History of 404 disagree with the Room 404 story with a quote from someone who has actually been to CERN. According to the quote, there is no Room 404 in CERN - it simply doesn’t exist, and certainly hasn’t been preserved as “the place where the web began”. Awe, disappointing indeed!
As much as the story of Room 404 at CERN sounded persuasive, its integrity is doubtful as it cannot be confirmed. Nevertheless many websites have come up with pretty alternatives to the boring 404 status message. Area 404 has a list of some of the best 404 web pages on the Internet. Even if there is no behind the code story, the inspiration of artists is worth mentioning.