Talk and Technology

The great baseball player Yogi Berra once said, “Prediction is hard, especially when it's about the future.” In 1943, Thomas Watson, founder of IBM, declared, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” In 1977, Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, predicted that “there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”[90] In 1981, Bill Gates said, “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” They were wrong. Researchers estimate that:

  • 60 percent of U.S. households are predicted to have personal computers by 2003.[91]

  • Corporations now average one personal computer for every 1.3 employees.[92]

  • The percentage of the U.S. population that spends time on-line increased from just under 20 percent ...

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