Instrumentation I: Looking ahead: Optical fibers, and tunable coherent sources and filters at infrared and optical frequencies, may key the future in test equipment

Every once in a while I am asked to dust off my crystal ball (single-crystal, of course) and discourse on the future of instrumentation, or what the Hewlett-Packard 1984 catalogue will offer. I always approach such an assignment with a great deal of trepidation because I am acutely aware of my limitations as a prophet and of the many unforeseeable discoveries that have occurred during my lifetime, that continue to occur, and that profoundly affect the course of our technology. But such excuses rarely dissuade my petitioners and so, at the risk of exposing myself to future ridicule, here are a few thoughts on what may lie ahead. But first let me back up a few decades and get a running start.