Hoffman speaks about the quickly-changing computer industry. He notes that while Microsoft is the contemporary king, traditionally the same company has failed to dominate the field in two successive eras. He traces the history of the industry, illustrating why certain companies thrived and/or died throughout. He says the next paradigm is communication-centric computing. He sees three technologies as shaping the future: (1) the world-wide-web, (2) enhanced bandwidth, and (3) new programming languages, singling out Java.