Challenges Facing Us

Many challenges face us as we design, develop, use, and support computers and software. Collectively, what we call the cyber infrastructure is becoming the backbone on which more and more of our commerce and communication are based. Sidebar Afterword-1 suggests that the lack of access to this backbone is a serious national security problem, especially in areas where low incomes prevent people from affording Internet access.

We focus next on three of the many challenges we must overcome as we continue to build and use the cyber infrastructure.