When the steam engine was invented in the t8th century, it began one of the greatest revolutions in our world. The invention of the petrol engine at the end of the 19th century led to another enormous change in our lives. And the computer is almost certainly going to be no less important an invention than these engines were. Just as there was a Stone Age, an Iron Age and so on, we have been living for centuries in a Paper Age, when almost all information was kept and sent on paper. However, to provide us with this paper, numerous trees have to be cut down every year. But now, with the computer, enormous amounts of information can be stored and sent without any paper, using small discs or the Internet. Computers allow one to send information to others anywhere in the world, through the Internet, and to receive information from them. One can send a long message more quickly from England to Australia, for example, than from one’s house to someone in the garden. Computers are not only used for writing; they can produce diagrams and pictures, and can even be used for playing games. They are a common sight at airports and railway stations, in hotels and restaurants; in fact, almost everywhere. The author seems to say that the invention of the computer is ______ that of the steam and petrol engines.

A. less important than
B. far more important than
C. at least as important as
D. not so important as