Some steps in the evolution of gaseous detectors

In the course of the last 25 years, particle detectors have undergone several step-like developments. The impact of new ideas results generally in intense research development followed by a stable period of construction. This stabilization is felt more strongly in high- energy physics, where the unavoidable complexity of present-day experimental equipment forbids fast changes. It has also some positive effects. The construction of giant systems is an art it itself, and often leads to a deepening of the initial concept and the discovery of new phenomena. (22 refs).