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Managing Computers in Large Organizations

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<strong>Manag<strong>in</strong>g</strong> Microcomputers <strong>in</strong> <strong>Large</strong> <strong>Organizations</strong><br />

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/167.html<br />

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INTRODUCTION 17<br />

Introduction<br />

William H. Leary III*<br />

There are few, if any, precedents for the microcomputer explosion. It has<br />

surprised most of us and is now recognized as a major force of change <strong>in</strong> small<br />

and large organizations alike. Microcomputers are spread<strong>in</strong>g rapidly <strong>in</strong>to every<br />

walk of life. Unfortunately, such growth makes it difficult to identify clear<br />

trends and other underly<strong>in</strong>g forces. The authors of the next three chapters are<br />

uniquely qualified to assess the status of and trends <strong>in</strong> microcomputer<br />

technology.<br />

Thomas Willmott of International Data Corporation beg<strong>in</strong>s with a broad<br />

review that gathers the threads of hardware, software, and communications <strong>in</strong>to<br />

a fabric that expla<strong>in</strong>s the direction of the microcomputer/personal computer<br />

<strong>in</strong>dustry. He represents that special group of <strong>in</strong>dustry observers who can help us<br />

understand what is happen<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

The other authors, Mitchell Kapor and Robert Metcalfe, are leaders among<br />

the small number of visionary geniuses <strong>in</strong> the microcomputer <strong>in</strong>dustry. Kapor,<br />

whose software products <strong>in</strong>clude the enormously successful 1-2-3 as well as<br />

Visitrend and Visiplot, shares his observations on where microcomputer<br />

software is head<strong>in</strong>g and looks at the apparent conflict between the successful<br />

* William H. Leary III is deputy director, Information Resources Management<br />

Systems, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.<br />

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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