The aim of an encyclopaedia is to gather together the currently accepted. Since progress in natural science and knowledge scattered over the face of the Earth, to set forth technology is generally advancing with increasing speed its general plan to the men with whom we live and to tra- the rapid progress in computer science and software dev- mit it to the men who will come after us, in order that the la- 1 bors of past centuries may not have been in vain opment is only one striking example of our time it has - come more and more difficult to clearly distinguish between Denis DIDEROT Paris...