Web Services: A Java™ Developer’s Guide Using E-Speak

1.1. The Information Age and the Internet

In the beginning, there were no computers. People had to do calculations using an abacus or later by hand. Scribes would spend a lifetime creating aesthetically pleasing copies of the Bible. Even news was spread via the town crier. Then one fine day, somebody said, “Let there be computers.” And computers were born. ^[1] People looked at computers and said, “This is good.” Initially, computers were used for processing heavy scientific calculations. As technology advanced, allowing computers to increase in affordability, they gained in popularity —slowly at first, eventually picking up speed as people discovered more ways that computers could make tasks more efficient.

^[1] That wasn’t exactly how computers ...