ABSTRACT
This chapter explores technology development beginning with the usage of large systems and the major influencing factors affecting that usage. It examines technology and system trends, and explains projections for future large systems revealing the emerging influence of minis. The chapter shows the evolution of distributed processing, and attempts to close the gap by reviewing user requirements on the processing network and the impact of these requirements on the vendor, the user, and the academic world. Like the business environment, the data processing world is changing, while the user community is heavily committed to batch applications, more and more companies are implementing transaction-oriented and online data base solutions. There is considerable pressure bearing on the data processing industry to bring about change in the way data is processed. The chapter looks at the evolution of hardware technology in two specific areas: general purpose computers and minicomputers.
