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From "The Proper Role of SGML and XML in an Enterprise I/T and Intranet Strategy" by Eric Severson from the Conference Proceedings of the SGML/XML '97 conference December 8-11, 1997. Page 513.
First, let's consider the context in which the whole question of SGML and XML has arisen. Applying computers to the problem of managing documents is but the latest wave in a continuing effort to gain business leverage thorough automation. Starting in the 1960's, computers were used primarily for financial and administrative tasks, with manufacturing and inventory control applications following closely through the next decade. By the late 1970's, the advent of relational database had made it possible to think beyond transaction processing to computers as more generalized management information and decision support systems.
The 1980's brought the personal computer, and with it a new era of word processing, office automation, and desktop publishing tools. By 1985, the paradigm had truly shifted: rather than being tied to a central system, everyone now had the freedom to do whatever they liked with their own applications and their own computing power. However, with the proliferation of PCs it became necessary to keep everything connected, and thus the late 80's focused on local area networks, electronic mail, and collaborative information sharing systems known as "groupware." At the same time, the new wave of sophisticated desktop and electronic publishing tools literally put typesetters and print shops out of business, while the number of business documents being produced soared exponentially.
As we moved into the 1990's, nearly every department in every business had a network of personal computers, all producing documents at an unprecedented rate and in a relatively uncontrolled manner, and all only loosely connected to the legacy mainframe systems that continued to provide transaction processing for core business systems. Paper was everywhere, while electronic documents accumulated in a myriad of proprietary formats. What had started out as a productivity boost was beginning to look more like chaos. Then, in 1993, the Internet and World Wide Web took the world by storm and the paradigm shifted once again. "Whoever shows up with working code" was the motto of the day, and every week, millions of new HTML documents began to be added to the electronic "document mess" we had already created.