A generation ago, when mainframe computing was the workplace standard, a high priesthood of software engineers was necessary for programming functions, system maintenance needs, and general interface with users. In the late 1970s, when the personal computer was born, computer hardware underwent a decentralizing process as the digital revolution started shifting power to the individual. By the 1980s, application software had become the driving force of the PC industry as the realization grew that personal computers were simply lifeless boxes without popular software that could run a myriad applications, from word processing to presentation graphics to spreadsheets.