The transformation of electronic communications

A DIFFICULTY FACING all of us who summarize various portions of technological history in the past quarter century for this anniversary issue of Electrical Engineering is the utter distortion of the once comfortable relationship between time and technical progress. In a previous generation, the historian assigned himself a century or more of engineering development in order to describe an appreciable advance. Today, by contrast, a decade is likely to give him as much as he can handle. In going back as far as 25 years, he finds himself in an age which, if not actually dark, is at best only dimly lighted by present standards.