Trends in the development of microcomputer hardware and software

In spite of the rapid growth in the field of microcomputers it is possible to make credible predictions regarding the future microcomputer systems. An attempt will be made to predict what microcomputer systems of the next decade will look like. This will be guided by a brief review of the state-of-the-art systems and an analysis of current trends influencing the development of microcomputer systems. The paper discusses the trends in the development of the major hardware components: I/O, Memory, and Microprocessors, followed by a detailed discussion of the software of future systems. This includes a discussion on programming languages, operating systems, and application packages. A brief discussion of various aspects of the user-computer interface including the orientation towards natural languages and the support of speech input and output is also included.