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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	zAugust 18, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Edsger Dijkstra
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Plataanstrat 5
␈↓ ↓H␈↓NL-4565 NEUNEN
␈↓ ↓H␈↓The Netherlands

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Dijkstra:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Zohar Manna showed me your letter of 26 July.  I am sorry you "vehemently abhor"
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer produced manuscripts in di≥erent type fonts.  I wish our xerographic printer had
␈↓ ↓H␈↓higher resolution and didn't make smudges when it hasn't recently been adjusted; we do the best
␈↓ ↓H␈↓we can.  You are entitled to your tastes, but when you claim that people with di≥erent tastes are
␈↓ ↓H␈↓using computers to "degrade our lives", you are contributing to an atmosphere of snobbery that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓has done much to degrade discussion of programming style.  Consider this also a protest against
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the language used in your campaign against ␈↓αgoto␈↓s.  (Sorry our boldface isn't bolder).

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As the inventor of one of the ≡rst languages (LISP) that allowed programming without
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓αgoto␈↓s, I nevertheless consider that they have their uses.  However, my main objection is to the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓character of the campaign you launched against them, which seemed to be based on an appeal to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓snobbery and seemed to encourage more snobbery.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈α∞you␈α∂see,␈α∞justi≡ed␈α∞right␈α∂margins␈α∞are␈α∞optional␈α∂in␈α∞computer␈α∞produced␈α∂documents.␈α∞ Many
␈↓ ↓H␈↓people␈αshare␈αyour␈αpreference␈αfor␈αunjusti≡ed␈αlines,␈αbut␈αit␈αis␈αwrong␈αto␈αmake␈αa␈αmoral␈αissue␈αof␈αit.␈α As
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a␈αmatter␈αof␈αtaste,␈αI␈α≡nd␈αthe␈αbackwards␈αwords␈α␈↓α≡␈↓␈αand␈α␈↓αod␈↓␈αunpleasing␈αand␈αwould␈αprefer␈αparentheses
␈↓ ↓H␈↓or ␈↓αbegin␈↓s and ␈↓αend␈↓s for resolving ambiguities.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∞am␈α∞glad␈α
you␈α∞like␈α∞the␈α
content␈α∞of␈α∞Manna's␈α
and␈α∞Waldinger's␈α∞report.␈α
 Manna␈α∞would␈α∞be␈α
an
␈↓ ↓H␈↓excellent␈α
expositor␈α
even␈α
if␈α
his␈α
reports␈α
had␈α
to␈αbe␈α
incised␈α
in␈α
clay␈α
tablets␈α
and␈α
baked,␈α
but␈αthe␈α
polished
␈↓ ↓H␈↓style␈α∂and␈α∂the␈α∂prompt␈α⊂appearance␈α∂may␈α∂owe␈α∂something␈α⊂to␈α∂the␈α∂opportunity␈α∂for␈α⊂frequent␈α∂revision
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a≥orded␈α⊃by␈α⊃computer␈α⊃produced␈α⊃documents.␈α⊃ Certainly,␈α⊃this␈α⊃was␈α⊃one␈α⊃of␈α⊃our␈α⊃main␈α⊃reasons␈α⊃for
␈↓ ↓H␈↓pioneering␈α
them␈α∞at␈α
this␈α
laboratory.␈α∞ Moreover,␈α
we␈α∞cannot␈α
a≥ord␈α
the␈α∞secretarial␈α
time␈α∞required␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓make several versions of a typescript.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        If you felt like distributing this protest to your EWD list, I would be grateful.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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