ABSTRACT
Computers permeate virtually every facet of our lives. Indeed, the time is rapidly approaching when "the computer illiterate will be cut off from most sources of information. The human brain unaided by computers will appear feebleminded" (Kemeny, 1983, p. 216). The ubiquity of computers and the diverse functions they perform belie the prediction made about 40 years ago by the RAND Corporation "that because computers were so large and expensive, no more than 12 corporations in the United States would ever need or be able to afford one" (Brzezinski, 1984, p. 7). The enormity of the evolution and the speed with which it has occurred can be appreciated by the oft-cited analogy (e.g., Rochester & Gantz, 1983) that, had the auto industry developed in a similar fashion, it would be possible nowadays to buy for $2.50 a Rolls Royce that would get 2 million miles to the gallon.
