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The National Challenge in Computer Science and Technology (1988) / Chapter Skim
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3 The Promise of Infrastructure
Pages 14-21

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From page 14...
... This capability could accelerate the conversion of computer technology advances to practical uses in businesses and homes, and it could help businesses and other organizations increase their productivity. The board has addressed some of these issues in reviewing federal proposals to unprove networking for U.S.
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From page 15...
... The members of the Computer Science and Technology Board, for example, are members of leading institutions ~ computer technology in our nation, yet we are often unable to send electronic mail among ourselves without great difficulty and without using pathways and circumventions unavailable to the general public. To understand thm, consider that, in order to make a voice telephone connection, in principle it ~ necessary only to connect two electrical wires.
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From page 16...
... The extensive wiring of the nation with optical fibers by the common carriers represents an unport ant national facility for high-speed computer communication. The latest fiber systems have data rates of 1.7 billion bits per second, equivalent to some 50,000 simultaneous voice telephone cans, on each ha~r-thin fiber.
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From page 17...
... Existing networks also provide glimpses of the potential of networking to enhance productivity in the manufacturing sector. Computer networks can facilitate collaboration among Aspersed design teams and enhance interaction among distributed design, manufacturing, and marketing personnel.
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From page 18...
... 18 fry A!
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From page 19...
... The Minite} experience underscores the challenges of implementing information services on the large scale and in the freeenterprise environment that characterize the United States, let alone for providing the richer service offerings that emerging technologies can make possible. In this country, the greatest progress toward nationwide, interorganizational networking service has been achieved in the research community.
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From page 20...
... Note that the goad and benefits of a national research network can be met by a loose federation of smaller, private and public networks; ~national" should not necessarily be taken to mean monolithic or even government-owned. Serving the economy as a whole, public data networking (through value-added networked and such network-based services as ED!
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From page 21...
... None of the above problems is insurmountable, but, as the above list suggests, planning and management as well as technology will be important in enhancing computer networking on a national scale.
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Key Terms

  • national scale
  • public data
  • electronic mail
  • nationwide computer
  • voice telephone

  • information services
  • data networks
  • common carriers
  • logical connectivity
  • computer networks

  • research network
  • information resources
  • electronic access
  • aspersed design
  • nationwide public

  • facilitate collaboration
  • computer modems
  • national facility
  • communications industries
  • individual computers

  • optical fibers
  • nationwide information
  • bibliographic data
  • mean monolithic
  • computer users

  • access remote
  • growing comfort
  • transported data
  • constructed using
  • telephone cans


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