00100	                           A PROPOSAL FOR
00200	
00300	         AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMPUTER SCIENCE IN THE COMPUTER
00400	
00500	                by John McCarthy, Stanford University
00600	
00700		I  would  like  to  suggest  that an encyclopedia of computer
00800	science and technology be developed and included in  the  ARPA  10↑12
00900	bit  laser  file  to  be  accessible  through the network.  There are
01000	already about 100 consoles attached to computers being  connected  to
01100	the  network  capable  of  reading  articles  directly,  more will be
01200	attached for other reasons.  Besides this, it should be  possible  to
01300	get  printed  copies of articles from the encyclopedia either as full
01400	size copy or as microfiche.
01500	
01600		Having the encyclopedia on the file would  realize  proposals
01700	going  back  at least to Vannevar Bush in 1946 and since advocated in
01800	various forms by Minsky and me,  by  Kemeny  and  by  lots  of  other
01900	people.  We envision the following organization.
02000	
02100		1.  A  chief  editor  and an editorial board solicit articles
02200	from experts in various fields.  This requires them to partition  the
02300	field  of  computer  science,  but, as we shall see, this subdivision
02400	does not have to be final.
02500	
02600		2. In the on-line use of the encyclopedia,  the  user  has  a
02700	reading  program which displays what he wants.  This program provides
02800	other services such as presenting hierarchies of outlines,  following
02900	reference  chains,  displaying  notes,  using  information  retrieval
03000	systems, etc.
03100	
03200		3. Articles will be updated whenever the editors can get  the
03300	authors to do so.
03400	
03500		4.  Readers  can  add  notes to articles or even propose what
03600	they regard as more up-to-date versions which the reader can  get  if
03700	he prefers them to the official versions.
03800	
03900		5.  New  hierarchical  arrangements  of  the  articles in the
04000	encyclopedia can be prepared either  by  the  "official"  editors  or
04100	others,   and   the   reader  can  use  whichever  of  the  available
04200	organizations of the subject he prefers.
04300	
04400		The project can be started any time, although the file  won't
04500	be  working  till  Spring  1972.   It seems to me that ARPA need only
04600	provide permission to use the file provided some arrangement  can  be
04700	made  whereby  authors  and  editors  can  charge  for the use of the
04800	material.  Otherwise, support for the writing and editorial  activity
04900	should be provided.
05000	
05100		Because   of  the  small  number  of  on-line  consoles,  the
05200	importance of the project will grow slowly, but it should be regarded
05300	as   one  of  the  prototypes  of  an  eventual  paper-less  national
05400	information system.