Indeed, if the detectors were not connected to warning systems, the alarms would be useless. Again, telephones are useful because no procedure is required to connect to the telephone system. As recently as last month, I spent fifteen minutes in a room with a dozen or so highly paid professionals waiting for a video conferencing system to be connected to a remote location. Good technology is standardized. One telephone connects to any other telephone in the world.
Standardization promotes interoperability.
Interoperability means that you have choices, that you are not locked into one supplier or vendor. A video that is designed to be played only on a specific computer platform and email that may be read only via a specific Internet Service Provider are examples of bad technology. Video should be viewable on all platforms and email should be accessible through any Internet service provider. Good technology is simple. Simplicity is a slippery concept, but the best technologies can be learned by looking at the input device, not by studying a manual.