Recent advances in microprocessor technology are making a new generation of personal computers feasible and affordable. These computers, called "workstations," can be connected with other workstations, with mainframe computers, with supercomputers, and with remote networks. Workstations provide the graphical interface to supercomputers and can run applications that formerly required the use of mainframe computers. Emerging standards for communications, graphics, databases, numerical algorithms, and languages allow workstations to share programs with various types of computers, including mainframe and personal computers.