By the mid 1980s computer technology had transformed American life. The watches people wore, the cars they drove, the mail they received, the games they played, the state of their health, and the way they learned were altered by the computer chip. Schools, workplaces, the health industry, government, and the law were all dramatically affected by the computer. Social engineers began to ponder the question of how to prepare the citizens of the future for lives and careers that would require at least a rudimentary understanding of computing. The notion of literacy, the fundamental measure of capability for modern life, was expanded to include "computer literacy": a basic familiarity with computers.
Big business had recognized the importance of the computer from the beginning; but by the 1980s, as equipment and the programs to make it useful became affordable, even small business offices relied on computers.....
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