Final answer:
True, before the widespread adoption of the Internet, most computer systems were isolated. Early networks were limited and local, and it wasn't until the establishment of standardized protocols that the commercial Internet led to widespread business adoption of interconnected computer systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that before the Internet was widely adopted by businesses, the vast majority of computer systems were completely isolated from one another is generally true. Initial development of computer networks began with Department of Defense researchers and universities in the 1960s and 1970s, creating private communication networks. The Internet as we know it today, which enables global interconnectedness, didn't begin to take shape until the 1980s with standardized communication protocols.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, computing became more accessible with companies like Apple, Commodore, and Tandy offering fully assembled personal computers. These computers, however, primarily served local functions and were not part of a broader network or interconnected with other systems extensively on a commercial scale. It wasn't until the standardization of communication protocols that the commercial internet was born, encouraging widespread business adoption.