Report on the activities of PADIS (1982-1983) and programme of work for 1984-1987, with projections up to 1989

Abstract

Most people, when they hear talk about computation or data processing centers are either intrigued or scared by the mystery surrounding the fact that non-living things can become as smart as (if not smarter than) living things to the point of rivaling the human mind. The mystery is kept alive by data processing people who continue to practice their profession like magic, using abracadabra beyond the ken of ordinary mortals, making people forget that the computer, like any other machine, was created by the human mind. Far from inspiring fear, the computer (together with all the paraphernalia which go to make it a computation centre) should be seen as a mere device that humankind has invented to make life easier and be admired as such. Computation centers make life easier only when their installation, organization, equipment and management have been properly mastered. The greatest thing about computation centers is not who heads them but the person* most often a novice, who is entrusted with estab