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␈↓ ↓H␈↓α␈↓ ∧ECOMMENTS ON DENICOFF PAPER

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_Marvin␈α
Denicoff␈α
does␈α
a␈α
real␈α
service␈α
in␈α
attempting␈α
a␈α
history␈α
of␈α
computing,␈α
and␈α
his␈αtopics␈α
are
␈↓ ↓H␈↓well␈αchosen.␈α However,␈αit␈αis␈αone␈αof␈αthe␈αfirst␈αattempts␈αand␈αnaturally␈αencounters␈αdisagreement␈αfrom
␈↓ ↓H␈↓other participants and observers.  Here are mine:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_1.␈α⊃The␈α⊃fifties␈α⊃were␈α⊃more␈α⊃optimistic␈α⊃years␈α⊃than␈α⊃the␈α⊃seventies␈α⊃and␈α⊃not␈α⊃only␈α∩in␈α⊃computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓science.␈α However,␈αthe␈αpicture␈αdrawn␈αby␈αDenicoff␈αdoesn't␈αdo␈αjustice␈αto␈αthe␈αvaried␈αopinions␈αextant
␈↓ ↓H␈↓at␈αthat␈αtime␈αabout␈αthe␈αprobabilities␈αof␈αsuccess␈αof␈αvarious␈αendeavors␈αin␈αgiven␈αtimes.␈α
 When␈αasked
␈↓ ↓H␈↓for␈αa␈αprediction␈αof␈αhow␈αsoon␈αa␈αresearch␈αor␈αdevelopment␈αgoal␈αwill␈αbe␈αrealized,␈αa␈αscientist␈αis␈αbound
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α∃give␈α∀an␈α∃optimistic␈α∀answer␈α∃if␈α∀he␈α∃takes␈α∀into␈α∃account␈α∀only␈α∃difficulties␈α∀that␈α∃he␈α∀recognizes.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Therefore,␈αhe␈αshould␈αcautiously␈αanswer␈αthat␈αif␈αthe␈αdifficulties␈αhe␈αsees␈αare␈αall␈αthere␈αare,␈αit␈αwill␈α
take
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓n␈↓ years.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_2.␈αDenicoff's␈αhistory␈αof␈αtime-sharing␈αassigns␈αto␈αlittle␈αcredit␈αto␈αCorbato␈α(who␈αinitiated␈αCTSS)
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α∂me␈α∞and␈α∂too␈α∂much␈α∞to␈α∂Strachey␈α∞(read␈α∂his␈α∂1959␈α∞paper),␈α∂Teager,␈α∞and␈α∂Fano.␈α∂ Institutionally,␈α∞it
␈↓ ↓H␈↓neglects␈α
the␈α
IBM␈α
and␈α
NSF␈α
support␈α
of␈α
early␈α
time-sharing␈α
at␈α
M.I.T.␈α
and␈α
N.I.H.␈α
support␈α
of␈α
time-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓sharing␈α∃at␈α∀BBN.␈α∃ Administratively,␈α∀Philip␈α∃Morse␈α∀and␈α∃J.C.R.␈α∀Licklider␈α∃also␈α∃deserve␈α∀credit.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Fredkin␈αdeserves␈αcredit␈αfor␈αrecognizing␈αthat␈αtime-sharing␈αwas␈αfeasible␈αon␈αa␈αcomputer␈αas␈α
small␈αas
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α
PDP-1␈α
and␈α
devising␈α
most␈α
of␈α
the␈α
hardware␈α
modifications␈α
required␈α
to␈α
make␈α
it␈α∞feasible.␈α
 The
␈↓ ↓H␈↓importance␈α∪of␈α∪MULTICS␈α∪is␈α∪exaggerated;␈α∪it␈α∪never␈α∪produced␈α∪cost-effective␈α∀time-sharing␈α∪and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓neither␈α
did␈α∞the␈α
IBM␈α∞TSS␈α
effort.␈α∞ Denicoff␈α
inexplicably␈α∞totally␈α
ignores␈α∞the␈α
PDP-6␈α∞and␈α
PDP-10
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computers␈α∂which␈α∂initiated␈α∂cost-effective␈α∂time-sharing␈α⊂and␈α∂whose␈α∂descendants␈α∂are␈α∂still␈α⊂the␈α∂most
␈↓ ↓H␈↓commonly␈αused␈α
time-sharing␈αmachines.␈α Their␈α
success␈αcompared␈α
to␈αMULTICS␈αand␈α
TSS␈αis␈αdue␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓starting␈αwith␈αreal␈αproblems␈αrather␈αthan␈αthe␈αpseudo-problems␈αof␈αlevels␈αof␈αaccess␈αand␈αsegmentation.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Many hundreds of PDP-10s are in use compared to a few dozen users of MULTICS and TSS.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_3.␈αArtificial␈αintelligence.␈α The␈αDartmouth␈αconference␈αwas␈αin␈α1956.␈α The␈αhistory␈α
of␈αartificial
␈↓ ↓H␈↓intelligence␈α∞is␈α∞even␈α∂harder␈α∞to␈α∞write␈α∂than␈α∞that␈α∞of␈α∂time-sharing.␈α∞ Time-sharing␈α∞is␈α∂successful,␈α∞and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓careful␈α∀interviewing␈α∀and␈α∀reading␈α∀will␈α∀trace␈α∀the␈α∀successful␈α∀ideas␈α∀to␈α∀their␈α∀sources.␈α∪ Artificial
␈↓ ↓H␈↓intelligence␈α
has␈α∞not␈α
yet␈α∞achieved␈α
enough␈α∞of␈α
its␈α
goals␈α∞to␈α
make␈α∞it␈α
uncontroversial␈α∞which␈α
activities
␈↓ ↓H␈↓are␈αcontributions␈αand␈αwhich␈αare␈αblind␈αalleys.␈α Moreover,␈αthe␈αtheoretical␈αfoundation␈αof␈αthe␈αsubject
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α∂still␈α∂so␈α∂undeveloped␈α∂that␈α∂it␈α∂can't␈α∂even␈α∂be␈α∂definitively␈α∂said␈α∂what␈α∂the␈α∂basic␈α∂ideas␈α∂are.␈α∂ E.g.␈α∞is
␈↓ ↓H␈↓natural language understanding fundamental or a side issue?

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_4.␈α
Software␈α∞development.␈α
 I␈α
find␈α∞this␈α
discussion␈α
-␈α∞mixing␈α
issues␈α
of␈α∞management,␈α
language
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and data structure design, and proofs of correctness - rather murky.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_5.␈α
Large␈α
file␈α
systems.␈α
 One␈α
suspects␈α
the␈α
author␈α
of␈α
overemphasizing␈α
activities␈α
sponsored␈αby
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ONR.␈α The␈αpacing␈αelement␈αin␈αlarge␈αon-line␈αdata␈αsystems␈αhas␈αbeen␈αthe␈αcost␈αof␈αdisk␈αfile.␈α Now␈αthat
␈↓ ↓H␈↓disk␈αfiles␈αare␈αcheap,␈αthere␈αcan␈αbe␈αmovement␈αaway␈αfrom␈αmonthly␈αbatch␈αprocessing␈αof␈αkeypunched
␈↓ ↓H␈↓data␈αto␈αimmediate␈αprocessing␈αof␈α
data␈αentered␈αat␈αterminals␈αas␈α
soon␈αas␈αit␈αis␈αreceived␈αwith␈α
immediate
␈↓ ↓H␈↓feedback␈αto␈αthe␈αperson␈αwho␈αenters␈αthe␈αdata.␈α This␈αchange␈αis␈αimportant␈αfor␈αsocial␈αreasons,␈αbecause
␈↓ ↓H␈↓much␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂rigidity␈α⊂and␈α∂mystery␈α∂of␈α∂computer␈α∂systems␈α⊂has␈α∂been␈α∂caused␈α∂by␈α∂the␈α⊂infeasibility␈α∂of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓interrogating␈α
and␈α
changing␈αdata␈α
relevant␈α
to␈αan␈α
individual␈α
in␈αthe␈α
middle␈α
of␈αa␈α
large␈α
tape␈αlibrary.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓The problem may be important enough to almost justify outlawing tape-to-tape file processing.