Many people now research their own medical problems on the Internet. Entire distance learning courses are delivered over the Internet and could be made available to inmates. These have become enormously popular and provide interactivity with others who are online at the same time. Until recent times, computers were difficult to operate, required specialized knowledge of arcane keyboard commands and were the province of experts. It was not until the early 1980s that computers began to win a place in large numbers on the desktops of ordinary users.
Ease of use is the cardinal principle that drives mass market adoption of new technologies.
The next step in the graphical revolution is networked virtual reality precisely because the same ingredients are at work - visualization and ease of use. Virtual Reality is a term loosely applied to a set of developments ranging from enhanced computer graphics to the creation of entire imaginary worlds in which the computer user feels totally immersed. The ability to select any and all viewing positions places the user inside a computer-generated world that can be explored much like someone would move around a zoo or shopping mall in real life. Although the line is somewhat blurred between enhanced computer graphics and virtual reality, it is said that the sense of total immersion and the ability to interact with features within the simulated environment are the distinguishing characteristics of virtual reality. The three-dimensional visual effects can be enhanced by using stereoscopic glasses of various types already available.