Universality Means ...
v Universality sets computers apart from machines that
perform physical operations
o Consider a chainsaw, a bread knife and a cheese slicer
v Buy one computer and perform any information
processing task imaginable … you may not have the
right input/output devices to enjoy the result, but the
computer can do all the work if given the software
Universality trumps the argument that “using a
computer is like driving a car”:  People drive
successfully without knowing how a car works … they
can use computers without knowing how they work …
but one needs to know more to apply a versatile tool