[Last Visible Dog]

Automations main goal is to eliminate tedious tasks in an effort to create more advanced products and services. The automation cycle gave us the dot-com boom. First came CGI then ASAPI/NSAPI, then JSP/ASP, then J2EE/.NET, now SOAP/WSDL/XML/XSL, and who knows what is next. The progression of technology has built wealth for corporations and IT personel alike.

I agree with everything you say except "automation cycle gave us the dot-com boom”. The dot-com boom was based on two factors: Y2K technology spending (misinterpreted as part of the dot-com miracle) and pure foo-foo dust investor ignorance/insanity.

[RockyMtnMan]

I would say the boom was created by the internet because it was seen as new market channel (automation driven). The "irrational exuberance" that followed was the affect not the cause of the boom. Remember dot-com implies an internet address.