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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
≥July 24, 1980 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dr. Jack Blackburn
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Computer Science and Technology Board
␈↓ ↓H␈↓National Academy of Science
␈↓ ↓H␈↓National Research Council
␈↓ ↓H␈↓2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Washington, D.C.  20418

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Jack:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α⊂found␈α⊂the␈α⊂minutes␈α⊂of␈α⊃the␈α⊂last␈α⊂meeting␈α⊂very␈α⊂interesting␈α⊃and␈α⊂plan␈α⊂to␈α⊂come␈α⊂to␈α⊃the␈α⊂next
␈↓ ↓H␈↓meeting.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α∞documents␈α∞from␈α∞me␈α
should␈α∞not␈α∞have␈α∞been␈α∞called␈α
a␈α∞history␈α∞of␈α∞time-sharing.␈α∞ While␈α
I
␈↓ ↓H␈↓consider␈α⊃them␈α⊃relevant␈α⊂to␈α⊃the␈α⊃history␈α⊃of␈α⊂time-sharing,␈α⊃they␈α⊃are␈α⊂much␈α⊃too␈α⊃concerned␈α⊃with␈α⊂my
␈↓ ↓H␈↓personal␈α
role␈α
and␈α
point␈α
of␈α
view␈αto␈α
be␈α
a␈α
candidate␈α
for␈α
a␈αhistory.␈α
 Let␈α
me␈α
remind␈α
you␈α
that␈α
I␈αtold
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Jack␈α
Schwartz␈αabout␈α
the␈αmemo␈α
to␈αMorse,␈α
and␈αhe␈α
asked␈αfor␈α
a␈αcopy␈α
which␈αI␈α
eventually␈αsent.␈α
 While
␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈αthink␈αI␈αinstigated␈αthe␈αwork␈αon␈αtime-sharing␈αat␈αM.I.T.,␈αBBN␈αand␈αStanford,␈αothers␈αat␈αM.I.T.␈α
 may
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have␈α⊃di≥erent␈α⊃opinions,␈α⊃and␈α⊂I␈α⊃don't␈α⊃know␈α⊃whether␈α⊂our␈α⊃ideas␈α⊃or␈α⊃work␈α⊃in∨uenced␈α⊂Dartmouth.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Someone␈α⊂with␈α⊂historical␈α⊂inclinations␈α⊂would␈α⊂have␈α⊂to␈α⊂ask␈α⊂many␈α⊂questions␈α⊂about␈α⊂who␈α⊂and␈α⊂what
␈↓ ↓H␈↓in∨uenced␈α⊃what␈α⊃work.␈α⊃ Incidentally,␈α⊃I␈α⊃recall␈α∩that␈α⊃Edmund␈α⊃C.␈α⊃Berkeley␈α⊃did␈α⊃a␈α⊃small␈α∩study␈α⊃for
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Information International on early work on text processing, and I'll send a copy when I get it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αcrediting␈αword␈αprocessing␈αto␈αindustry␈αis␈αan␈αoversimpli≡cation.␈α Much␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓it␈α⊃is␈α⊃descended␈α⊂from␈α⊃editing␈α⊃systems␈α⊃on␈α⊂time-sharing␈α⊃computers,␈α⊃and␈α⊂these␈α⊃were␈α⊃≡rst␈α⊃done␈α⊂at
␈↓ ↓H␈↓universities.␈α
 The␈α
≡rst␈α
display␈α
systems␈α
used␈αfor␈α
time-sharing␈α
systems␈α
were␈α
at␈α
Stanford␈α
on␈αthe␈α
PDP-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓1␈αand␈αwere␈αbuilt␈αto␈αour␈αspeci≡cations␈αby␈αPhilco.␈α Previous␈αwork␈αconsidered␈αthe␈αdisplay␈αa␈α
one-to-a-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer␈αdevice.␈α IBM␈αResearch␈αwas␈αdesigning␈αa␈α
$100,000␈αdisplay␈α(the␈α2050␈αmodel␈α4)␈αat␈αthe␈α
same
␈↓ ↓H␈↓time we installed a system of 60 $600 displays in 1971.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science