perm filename ACM.XGP[LET,JMC] blob sn#128537 filedate 1974-11-05 generic text, type T, neo UTF8
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␈↓␈↓↓␈↓α␈↓β␈↓∧␈↓∂␈β↓↓␈↓∂S␈↓α
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␈β↓Q␈↓ ¬	STANFORD UNIVERSITY
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␈↓β␈↓ ¬_STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
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␈↓∧
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY␈↓ 
+   Telephone:
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COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT␈↓ 
+415-497-4430
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␈↓␈↓ ¬d1 November 1974
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Editor
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␈↓↓Communications of the ACM
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␈↓ACM Headquarters Office
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1133 Avenue of the Americas
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New York, New York 10036
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Dear Sir:
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␈↓ α_In␈α⊂her␈α⊂October␈α⊂President's␈α⊂letter,␈α⊂Jean␈α⊂Sammet␈α⊂favors␈α⊂the␈α⊂certification␈α∂and/or␈α∂licensing␈α∂of
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␈↓ ↓Hcomputer␈α
programmers␈α
and␈α
operators␈αby␈αgovernment␈αagencies␈αand␈αregards␈αit␈αas␈αinevitable.␈αAs␈αaids
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␈↓ ↓Hto␈α⊂this,␈α⊂she␈α⊂proposes␈α⊂various␈α⊂measures␈α⊂including␈α⊂urging␈α⊂people␈α⊂to␈α⊂take␈α⊂the␈α⊂examination␈α⊂for␈α⊂the
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␈↓ ↓Hcertificate␈α
of␈α
data␈α
processing.
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␈↓ α_In␈αfact␈αlicensing␈αwill␈αharm␈αthe␈αfield␈α
by␈α
increasing␈α
bureaucracy,␈α
by␈α
protecting␈α
people␈α
already␈α
in
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␈↓ ↓Hit␈α
from␈α
competition,␈α
by␈α
the␈α
cost␈α
of␈α
the␈α
bureaucracy,␈α
and␈α
by␈α
diverting␈α
effort␈α
into␈α
squabbling␈αabout
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␈↓ ↓Hwho␈αshould␈αtake␈αwhat␈αexams.␈αIt␈αwill␈αdo␈αnothing␈αto␈αprevent␈αthe␈αuse␈αof␈αcomputers␈αfor␈αfrauds,␈αbugs␈αin
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␈↓ ↓Hprograms␈α∀that␈α∀make␈α∀up␈α∀utility␈α∀bills,␈α∀or␈α∀the␈α∀misuse␈α∀of␈α∀files␈α∀stored␈α∀in␈α∀computers␈α∀for␈α∪wrongly
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␈↓ ↓Hdiscriminating␈αamong␈αapplicants␈αfor␈αjobs,␈αcredit␈αor␈αparoles.␈αIt␈αseems␈αto␈αbe␈α
motivated␈α
by␈α
the␈α
desire␈α
to
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␈↓ ↓Hcreate␈αanother␈αpetty␈αmonopoly␈αso␈αas␈αto␈αincrease␈αstatus␈αand␈αpay␈αand␈αis␈αthus␈αon␈αthe␈αmoral␈αlevel␈αof␈αthe
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␈↓ ↓Hoil␈α
cartel.
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␈↓ α_Moreover,␈α∪the␈α∪greatest␈α∪faults␈α∪in␈α∪the␈α∪use␈α∩of␈α∩computers␈α∩so␈α∩far␈α∩is␈α∩the␈α∩creation␈α∩of␈α∩inflated
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␈↓ ↓Hbureaucracies␈α∩to␈α∩run␈α∩them␈α∩and␈α∩their␈α∩use␈α∩to␈α∩inflate␈α∩the␈α∩bureaucratic␈α∩activities␈α∩of␈α⊃organizations
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␈↓ ↓Hposessing␈α
them.␈α
Licensing␈α
programmers,␈α
managers␈α
and␈α
operators␈α
won't␈α
help␈α
fix␈α
this␈α
and␈α
the␈αspirit
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␈↓ ↓Hthat␈α
motivates␈α
licensing␈α
the␈α
same␈α
spirit␈α
that␈α
motivates␈α
bureaucratic␈α
inflation.
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␈↓ α_I␈αhope␈αthat␈αin␈αthe␈αnext␈αACM␈αelection,␈αI␈α
will␈α
have␈α
the␈α
opportunity␈α
to␈α
vote␈α
for␈α
a␈α
candidate␈α
who
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␈↓ ↓Hwill␈α∩oppose␈α∩licensing␈α∩and␈α⊃other␈α⊃extensions␈α⊃of␈α⊃monopoly␈α⊃and␈α⊃bureaucracy,␈α⊃and␈α⊃I␈α⊃hope␈α⊃that␈α⊃the
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␈↓ ↓Hnominating␈αcommittee␈αor␈αwhatever␈αwill␈α
keep␈α
this␈α
in␈α
mind.␈α
I␈α
also␈α
urge␈α
individuals␈α
neither␈α
to␈α
take␈α
nor
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␈↓ ↓Hrequire␈α∞unnecessary␈α∞examinations␈α∞of␈α∞dubious␈α∞relevance␈α∞to␈α∞job␈α∞requirements.␈α∞I␈α∞would␈α∞be␈α∞happy␈α
to
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␈↓ ↓Hcorrespond␈α∀with␈α∀other␈α∀ACM␈α∀members␈α∀interested␈α∀in␈α∀turning␈α∀the␈α∀ACM␈α∀away␈α∀from␈α∀promoting
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␈↓ ↓Hbureaucracy␈α
and␈α
monopoly.
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Sincerely yours,
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John McCarthy
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Director, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
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Computer Science Department
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JMC:pw
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ACM.LE2[LET,JMC]:SU-AI
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