Medical computing in the 1980s. Operating system and programming language issues.

Operating systems and programming languages differ widely in their suitability for particular applications. The diversity of medical computing needs demands a diversity of solutions. Compounding this diversity if the decentralization caused by evolution of local computing systems for local needs. Relevant current trends in computing include increased emphasis on decentralization, growing capabilities for interconnection of diverse systems, and development of common data base and file server capabilities. In addition, standardization and hardware in dependence of operating systems, as well as programming languages and development of programmerless systems, continue to widen application opportunities.