Computers, courtesy of Mom

In the article "Mom and Dad Get a Computer," June 23: The author neglects to mention the fact that it was the people of his parent's generation who conceived the idea of the modern digital computer and struggled through the development of practical working machines.

In fact, most of the difficult creative work of discovering and using the physical laws governing computer hardware as well as the organizational laws governing software development was not done by the author's generation. The period from World War II through the early 1980s saw the difficult beginning of digital computer technology and its great impact on mankind. Developing business, technical, and home computer applications has not always been as easy as it is now.

The resulting modern computer systems, which are reliable, capable, inexpensive, and readily available, are a gift of this prior generation. C. R. Gahr, Vancouver Island, B.C.

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