Abstract
The Editor, when requesting this paper had clearly in mind a historical survey based on the available literature, guided and coloured by the author's own views and experience in the field. As it has turned out, the paper is less of a survey and certainly not a critical and exhaustive one but more of a personal overview. As it is based on more than 15 years experience with computers in relation to information systems, one may hope that it will meet the Editor's expectation more than half‐way.

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