““The development of information technology has taken place through a sequence of innovations, one building on another. Most of these innovations did not occur through “blue sky” research, they occurred as people were searching for ways to break through a constraint in existing ways of doing things. The innovations were demand-driven – they provided solutions to pressing practical problems. The innovations tended to be made in institutions, rather than by lone researchers, as the facilities and technical support needed for physics and electronic research are so substantial.””
