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To: elmatador who wrote (1908)11/7/2005 4:44:45 AM
From: Seeker of Truth  Respond to of 217838
 
Hi elmatador,
Bell Labs invented the semiconductor. In computer science they produced the UNIX operating system and the universally used C and C++ languages. They could produce these enormous benefits to society because AT&T, the company that owned Bell Labs, was a monopoly and Bell Labs was run on a non-profit basis. Companies that must be profitable only occasionally do earthshaking fundamental research. What we all refer to as R & D is generally just D. It's important to the individual company but not usually
important to society.
The future arrived. Yes sir. AT&T lost its monopoly, had to watch the bottom line for a change, so Bell Labs almost immediately disintegrated. Society has to keep some place for "nonuseful" research, otherwise fundamental technological advances are not achieved.