COMMENT ⊗   VALID 00003 PAGES
C REC  PAGE   DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00002 00002	.require "memo.pub[let,jmc]" source
C00007 00003		Stanford University is establishing a new computation
C00012 ENDMK
C⊗;
.require "memo.pub[let,jmc]" source;
.cb LOW OVERHEAD TIME-SHARING FOR STANFORD UNIVERSITY


	Stanford University will establish a new computation facility
for teaching, unsponsored research, and general computing by students.
The new facility called LOTS for %2Low Overhead Time-Sharing%1.
The first priority of LOTS is course work in engineering, computer science,
and other fields, but there will be sufficient resources for extensive
other use.

	The computer will be a Digital Equipment Corporation 2040, a new
computer in that company's PDP-10 series and compatible with the three
other PDP-10 facilities on Campus.  The initial configuration includes
256K 36 bit words of core memory, one magnetic tape unit, 200 megabytes
of file disk, and 32 on-line terminals.  The computer and terminals
will be located in Pine Hall at the north end of the Campus in space
formerly occupied by the IBM 360/67.  The computation speed and main
memory are approximately equivalent to the 360/67, but the machine will
be entirely oriented to on-line use and to the student and unsponsored
research community.

	The Director of LOTS will be Professor John McCarthy of the
Computer Science Department, and a search is under way for a full time Manager.
There will also be a faculty and student Advisory Board with representatives
from several departments and schools.

	The expected installation date is November 1, 1976 (possibly
August 1976).  Some courses will transfer their computing from the
360/168 to LOTS in Winter 1977, and the transfer of all courses that
are going to transfer will be complete by Fall 1977.  (If we can get
the machine in August, some courses will transfer in Autumn, and we
will try to complete almost all of the transfer by Spring.

	The staff of LOTS will consist of three people, a manager,
a systems programmer, and a secretary.  This is where the "low overhead"
will come from.  Complete manuals for the machine, its programming
languages, and its utility programs will be for sale in the Stanford
Book Store, and many of the programs will have HELP features.  The
tiny staff will be able to give essentially no help to users in
learning the system, and the fculty and graduate assistants will
have the responsibility of getting their courses on the machine.
This mode of operation is based on the experience with computers
faculty and students have gained over the years.  Since consulting
we expect that the more experienced users will help the others.
Users will be checked out to tear off their printer listings,
load paper in terminals and printers, and to restart the system
after crashes, since the machine will not have an operator.
Besides informal help, we expect a free market in programming
and consulting for researchers to develop, but TAs will provide
the consulting for the courses.


	The success of LOTS will depend to a large degree will
on student volunteer work, and many stuedents have already
helped and expressed interest.  Space will be provided for the
student volunteer staff, and they will be give substantial
responsibilities.
	Stanford University is establishing a new computation
center called the Stanford Low Overhead Time-sharing Service -
abbreviated SLOTS.  SLOTS has the following objectives and
principles:

.item←0
	#. Student computer use which has been primarily batch
mode will be changed to interactive use of the SLOTS machine
using display terminals.  At least 40 terminals will be initially
available.

	#. The computer will be freely available like the library.
Its use will not be controlled by monetary allocations.

	#. The staff will be minimal - three people initially.
The machine will be run without a professional operator, and
users will take the responsibility for changing paper, etc.

	#. The manuals for using the machine will be available
in the Stanford Bookstore.  Faculty and teaching assistants in
courses that use SLOTS will introduce their students to the machine.

	#. Student volunteers will take an important role in
providing the machine with additinal software, educating new
users, and keeping the machine operating smoothly.

	This low overhead mode of operation relies on the
experience with computers that Stanford students and faculty
have gained over the years.
Naturally, these initial conditions will be modified as dictated
by experience.

.bb THE FACILITY

	The computer is a Digital Equipment DECSystem 20 that
will be installed in Pine Hall in space formerly occupied by
the IBM 360/67.  In performance the machine is expected to be
comparable to the 360/67, but its operating system is oriented
around the time-sharing mode of operation.  There will be
256K 36 bit words of memory, one tape unit, initially 200 megabytes
of disk file storage, a line printer and somewhat more than
40 display terminals.  Languages available will include Fortran,
a variant of Algol, LISP, and Basic.  SNOBOL and APL can be
provided if the requirement exists.  An extensive subroutine
library including SPSS and mathematical subroutines will also
be available.
	The machine will be delivered by November 19, 1976.  It is
expected that a quarter of the course work will move in Winter 1977,
half in Spring 77, three quarters in Summer 77, and the move will be
complete in Fall 77.  Funds for use of the IBM 370/168 will still be
available when appropriate.

	The Director of SLOTS is Professor John McCarthy of the Computer
Science Department and the Manager is Mr. ----- -----.  Mr. David Roode
is Acting Assistant Manager.  The SLOTS office is temporarily  xxxx,
and its telephone number is 497-xxxx.  At present the telephone is
answered irregularly.  Mr. ----- can be reached at 497-----, and
Professor McCarthy at 497-4430.