Chapter 5. Category Theory
Thomas Watson was famously quoted as saying, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers". That was in 1948. Back then, everybody knew that computers would only be used for two things: math and engineering. Not even the biggest minds in tech could predict that, one day, computers would be able to translate Spanish to English, or simulate entire weather systems. At the time, the fastest machine was IBM's SSEC, clocking in at 50 multiplications per second, the display terminal wasn't due until 15 years later and multiple-processing meant multiple user terminals sharing a single processor. The transistor changed everything, but tech's visionaries still missed the mark. Ken Olson made another famously foolish prediction when, in 1977, he said "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home".
It seams obvious to us now that computers are not just for scientists and engineers, but that's hindsight...
