Technology
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Mention history to the typical student if you want to put them to sleep! Yep, history is thought of as pretty dull stuff. Some say that those who refuse to study history are doomed to repeat it. Maybe! One thing for certain, in the field of information systems if you don't understand the evolution of the technology and its related standards, you will have a harder time understanding why we are where we are now. Worse yet, you will have a harder time predicting where we are going--a dangerous predicament for the information systems professional who is called upon to chart the course toward the technological future. The study of the history of data communication helps us to understand the evolution of its technology and standards, and apply that understanding to predicting its future course.
Let me take an example from a technology that is not designed to carry data, but rather to carry physical things--the railroad. In the US the distance between the rails, known as its "gauge," is 4 feet 8.5 inches...