The European computer gap

Among people concerned with the politics of science and technology, a good deal of discussion has centered recently on the relationship between the United States and a number of foreign countries, and on the effect abroad of American conditions of scientific research and development. Slogans such as the "technology gap" and the "brain drain" are being coined, reflecting the areas of principal concern, and the scientific achievements in Europe and elsewhere are often compared unfavorably with American performance. Computers and computer science play an important role in this situation, and it appears worthwhile, therefore, to examine the problem in more detail. If the truth must be told once again, it is clear that in computer science at least, conditions in Europe appear in a less favorable l ight than those in the United States. In some countr ies--for example, England and Germany--a few independent computer manufacturers are on the scene, but no European country has an industry which is really strong and viable. In the universities, computer science is either ignored, or treated haphazardly without breadth and without consideration of its potential importance, and in most application areas computing theory and practice are lagging. Are the Europeans aware of the situation ?--Indeed they are. Even in the popular press, more and more articles appear, drawing attention to the unhealthy conditions in the computer area, and demanding action of one sort or another. Committees are created to survey the situation, and in some countries emergency action programs are initiated, exemplified by the French "Plan Calcul," which is expected to revive an independent French computer industry. Many universities are also reexamining their position, and changes in the engineering or mathematics curricula designed to include computeroriented courses are contemplated for the foreseeable future. Without intending to be smug about our own situation, by disregarding, for example, our own shortcomings and failures it may still be appropriate to ask what exactly the troubles are with the computer field in Europe, and what can be done to lessen the contrast with American practice. This turns out to be a problem not at all easy to handle. Some people of course have ready answers, and take the simple view that Europeans can make easy headway by merely copying all things American. Typical instances of European decadence are given, for example, in a recent editorial in Datamation (September 1966), where a transplanted American is said to have explained the computer gap by pointing to the absence of the wall-mounted pencil sharpener, and to the fact that $1,000 and one week are needed to have a telephone installed