Since the first of the T&C conferences in 1978 the field of machine (-aided) translation has seen many changes: from mainframe computers to personal computers and the Internet; from a mainly academic research pursuit to a competitive commercial field; from discussions of 'future potentials' to discussions of actual uses; from a translation profession largely antagonistic to mechanization to one making cost-effective exploitation of computerized translation tools. This presentation will look at the situation 20 years ago, describe the major changes and developments, and consider what the future may bring.