Telecommunications

Abstract

We have been discussing the use of computers and related equipment in a variety of multiuser and multitasking systems known as local area networks, integrated work stations, office automation, and perhaps by even other names suggesting the main objective or primary function of the system. If there is a single unifying factor among these various applications, it is that all systems involve and require some means of communication among the elements. That does not mean, however, that the communication methodology or equipment is standardized by any means; the usual standardization problems plague this area of computer applications as much as they do other areas. And, again, the problem of “no standard” really means a problem of too many standards and no single or universally accepted standard. There are, for example, a number of different protocols governing data transmission, and that is of itself a problem. But there are also the usual compatibility problems of differences in systems, languages, disk formats, and other factors.

Communications technology is the link that makes integrated work stations possible. It is also a major growth industry in itself, known generally as “telecommunications,” and sometimes the chief reason for building the system.