VII. Twenty years ago few people realized that computers were about to become part of our daily lives. This short period of time has seen enormous changes in business, education and public administration.
Jobs which took weeks to complete in the past, are now carried out in minutes. Clerks who spent all day copying and checking calculations are now freed from these tedious tasks. In offices, the soft hum and clicking of word processors have replaced the clatter of typewriters. Schoolchildren have become as familiar with hardware and software as their parents were with pencils and exercise books.
Computerization of public records has enabled government departments to analyze the needs of citizens in detail.
Some of us may wonder, however, whether life has really improved as a result of these changes. Many jobs disappeared , for example, when intelligent machines took over the work. Employers complain that clerical staff have become dependent on calculators and cannot do simple arithmetic.
There are fears that governments haven't done enough to ensure that personal information held on computers is really kept secret.
Certainly, many people may now be wondering whether the spread of computers has brought us as many problems as it has solved.