Microcomputers. miracle or myth?

If any technological advance can be acclaimed as a miracle, the large-scale integration (l.s.i.) of electronic components certainly can. Microminiaturisation and consequent low costs have revolutionised electronic design, and a major achievement has been the processor-on-the-chip: the microprocessor, which, combined with other l.s.i. components like memory and input/output, forms a microcomputer. Being so much smaller and cheaper than existing minicomputers, they have already had a significant impact, and it is inevitable that they will be introduced to advantage in many new fields. But there is a grave danger that the very idea of microcomputers is being `oversold' before the full costs and supporting technologies are established. Publicity can too easily gloss over implementation costs, e.g. program-development facilities and prototyping hardware. Design engineers must investigate some of these hidden costs, and identify the support software required if microcomputers are to fulfil their promise