Proponents of the latter approach, including Benjamin Franklin, explained that the increased flow of rain water through a single, high-volume channel would be more effective in washing away soot and dust. But the side-gutter supporters won out, and the debate faded into history. Unless you have an interest in civil engineering, you probably don't even notice the water-drainage system in your community until it fails or its upkeep requires a monetary response from you. Today, computers demand the attention of specialists and the public the way streetside gutters once did. Visionaries project future applications, and magazines and journals describe and discuss technologic advances.
Good programmers are in short supply and can often set their own salaries.
Companies are consolidating and industry-wide standards are being set. Computers, especially those designed for the huge consumer market, are becoming commodity items and sit atop almost every desk in corporate America and in many clinics. Despite all of this attention and activity, computers are not yet ubiquitous, especially in hospitals. Prohibitive issues are largely practical ones. Huge monitors aren't easily movable, and there never seems to be enough desk space to put a sufficient number of computers on the wards.