As a small boy, growing up on a farm in the remote Cotswold countryside during the 1960s, I never guessed how the lives of everyone would change in the decades of my life nor the way that transformation would guide my life and career.
From a farmers boy in the 1960s to a CTO in the global IT industry of the 21st Century, I have a story to tell. When I entered what was then the “Computer Industry” I knew that what I was doing was the future, but I couldn’t possibly know the extent to which this technology would change the world.
The story of my career in Information Technology follows the story of how that technology has developed over the decades. This is why I have decided to write down my story because it documents a bit of social history by telling things from the point of view of an insider. It is not a unique story because many thousands followed the same path, but not everyone takes the trouble to write things down and history is told by those who do.
On some occasions, I have looked back and seen some concepts come in cycles and themes repeat themselves. So, I had originally planned to call my story “Nothing new under the sun”, based on a quotation from the book of Ecclesiastes. However, reflecting on this and the staggering extent of change that I have seen both in the industry and wider world, I am more inspired by the words in Isaiah (43:19):
“See, I am doing a new thing!
Isaiah 43:19 NIV
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.”
I hope you enjoy reading my story and find many new things as you read. I have discovered and continue to discover many wonderful new things and this is my wish for you.
Richard Mann 