Over that time, the computer has opened up extraordinary possibilities in almost every area of human endeavor. Business leaders today are able to manage global enterprises on an unprecedented scale because computers enable them to transfer information anywhere in a fraction of a second. Scientists can now solve problems that were beyond their reach until the computer made the necessary calculations possible. Filmmakers use computers to generate dramatic visual effects that are impossible to achieve without them. Doctors can determine much more accurately what is going on inside a patient because computers have enabled a massive transformation in the practice of medicine.
Computers are a profoundly empowering technology.
The advances we have seen up to now are small compared to what we will see in the next century. Computers will play a major role in shaping that century, just as they have the last 50 years. Those of you who are students today will soon inherit the responsibility of guiding that progress. As you do so, knowing how to use computers can only help. Like most skills that are worth knowing, learning how computers work and how to control their enormous power takes time.