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There is a promise of some progress in the understanding of the differences between glasses on the one hand and other kinds of solids, or liquids, on the other.
Advances in computers permit scientific documentation systems to link with research data bases. Such 'intelligent' scientific documentation gives access to the data and computing resources behind the results.
From specialized wordprocessing to data crunching, laboratories have complex computer needs. Here is an example of software products on show at the Scientific Computing and Automation Conference, 13–15 May, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.