/LMAR=0/XLINE=3/USET=10␈↓ α,␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Department of Computer Science, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, CA 94305


␈↓ α,␈↓Telephone: 415 723-4430␈↓ ∞1March 15, 1986 

␈↓ α,␈↓Electronic mail: JMC@SU-AI␈↓
.␈↓ARPA


␈↓ α,␈↓Professor Andrei Ershov
␈↓ α,␈↓Computing Center
␈↓ α,␈↓Novosibirsk 630090
␈↓ α,␈↓USSR

␈↓ α,␈↓Dear Andrei,

␈↓ α,␈↓        It was good to get your Christmas letter.

␈↓ α,␈↓        I␈α∩hadn't␈α∩known␈α∩of␈α∩your␈α∩bout␈α∩with␈α⊃cancer,␈α∩and␈α∩I␈α∩hope␈α∩all␈α∩has␈α∩gone␈α∩as␈α∩well␈α∩as␈α∩your␈α∩letter
␈↓ α,␈↓indicates.

␈↓ α,␈↓        Also␈α_I␈α_hope␈α_all␈α_goes␈α_well␈α_with␈α_your␈α_computer-in-schools␈α_project,␈α_which␈α_has␈α_attracted
␈↓ α,␈↓considerable␈α⊂press␈α⊂attention␈α⊂here.␈α⊂ There␈α⊂is␈α⊂some␈α⊂skepticism␈α⊂about␈α⊂Soviet␈α⊂ability␈α⊂to␈α⊂produce␈α⊂the
␈↓ α,␈↓necessary␈α↔microcomputers␈α↔and␈α↔willingness␈α↔to␈α↔distribute␈α↔them␈α↔as␈α↔widely␈α↔as␈α↔needed.␈α↔ My␈α↔own
␈↓ α,␈↓opinion␈α⊂is␈α⊂that␈α⊂you␈α⊂will␈α⊂succeed␈α⊂eventually,␈α⊂although␈α⊂there␈α⊂may␈α⊂be␈α⊂delays.␈α⊂ My␈α⊂other␈α⊂opinion␈α⊂is
␈↓ α,␈↓that␈α⊂a␈α⊂visit␈α⊂from␈α⊂you␈α⊂in␈α⊂connection␈α⊂with␈α⊂this␈α⊂project␈α⊂would␈α⊂excite␈α⊂great␈α⊂interest␈α⊂and␈α⊂most␈α⊂likely
␈↓ α,␈↓o≥ers of collaboration from Americans with similar interests.

␈↓ α,␈↓        I␈α⊃also␈α⊃have␈α⊃personal␈α⊃news.␈α⊃ My␈α⊃son␈α⊂Timothy␈α⊃Talcott␈α⊃McCarthy␈α⊃was␈α⊃born␈α⊃last␈α⊃November
␈↓ α,␈↓9␈α⊗and␈α⊗is␈α⊗doing␈α⊗well.␈α⊗ I␈α⊗gave␈α⊗Bobko␈α⊗some␈α⊗pictures␈α⊗for␈α⊗you.␈α⊗ Since␈α⊗Carolyn␈α⊗is␈α⊗now␈α⊗spending
␈↓ α,␈↓considerable␈α⊗time␈α⊗at␈α⊗home,␈α⊗we␈α⊗now␈α⊗have␈α⊗two␈α⊗terminals␈α⊗instead␈α⊗of␈α⊗one␈α⊗and␈α⊗an␈α⊗Imagen␈α⊗laser
␈↓ α,␈↓printer.

␈↓ α,␈↓        Mostly␈α I␈α am␈α working␈α on␈α formalizing␈α common␈α sense␈α knowledge␈α using␈α variants␈α of
␈↓ α,␈↓circumscription.␈α~ The␈α~logic␈α~part␈α→is␈α~going␈α~particularly␈α~well,␈α~since␈α~my␈α~collaborator,␈α~Vladimir
␈↓ α,␈↓Lifschitz,␈α∂knows␈α∂more␈α∂logic␈α∂than␈α∂I.␈α∂ As␈α∂usual␈α∂the␈α∂really␈α∂hard␈α∂part␈α∂is␈α∂isolating␈α∂the␈α∂common␈α∂sense
␈↓ α,␈↓knowledge.␈α⊂ However,␈α⊂many␈α⊂more␈α⊂people␈α⊂all␈α⊂over␈α⊂the␈α⊂world␈α⊂are␈α⊂working␈α⊂on␈α⊂this␈α⊂problem␈α⊂that␈α⊂I
␈↓ α,␈↓used␈α⊂to␈α⊂have␈α⊂almost␈α⊂to␈α⊂myself.␈α⊂ The␈α⊂``blocks␈α⊂world''␈α⊂has␈α⊂been␈α⊂revived,␈α⊂and␈α⊂it␈α⊂is␈α⊂now␈α⊂agreed␈α⊂that
␈↓ α,␈↓not all its problems have been solved.

␈↓ α,␈↓        Les␈α∪Earnest␈α∪is␈α∪now␈α∪working␈α∪for␈α∪me␈α∪again,␈α∪after␈α∪spending␈α∪≡ve␈α∪years␈α∪starting␈α∪a␈α∪company
␈↓ α,␈↓called␈α∪Imagen␈α∪that␈α∪makes␈α∪laser␈α∪printers.␈α∪ This␈α∪is␈α∪in␈α∪connection␈α∪with␈α∪a␈α∪project␈α∪to␈α∪make␈α∪a␈α∪Lisp
␈↓ α,␈↓for␈α∩parallel␈α∩computers.␈α∩ The␈α∩language␈α∩is␈α∩called␈α∩Qlisp.␈α∩ A␈α∩paper␈α∩on␈α∩it␈α∩by␈α∩Richard␈α∩Gabriel␈α∩and
␈↓ α,␈↓me␈α∪was␈α∪published␈α∪in␈α∪the␈α∪proceedings␈α∩of␈α∪the␈α∪1984␈α∪Lisp␈α∪Conference␈α∪under␈α∪the␈α∪name␈α∪Qlambda.
␈↓ α,␈↓We␈α⊃only␈α⊃later␈α⊃changed␈α⊃the␈α⊃name␈α⊃to␈α⊃Qlisp,␈α⊃when␈α⊃Earl␈α⊃Sacerdoti,␈α⊃who␈α⊃had␈α⊃used␈α⊃the␈α⊃name␈α⊃Qlisp
␈↓ α,␈↓for something else, agreed his usage was retired, so we could have the name.

␈↓ α,␈↓        Our␈α⊂other␈α⊂project,␈α⊂not␈α⊂really␈α⊂started,␈α⊂is␈α⊂an␈α⊂editor-based␈α⊂operating␈α⊂system␈α⊂for␈α⊂IBM's␈α⊂newly
␈↓ α,␈↓announced␈α⊗PC-RT.␈α⊗ RT␈α⊗stands␈α⊗for␈α⊗RISC␈α⊗technology,␈α⊗and␈α⊗the␈α⊗architecture␈α⊗is␈α⊗one␈α⊗that␈α⊗John
␈↓ α,␈↓Cocke developed many years ago.
␈↓ α,␈↓Professor Andrei Ershov␈↓ λ.March 15, 1986␈↓ ∂VPage 2␈↓∧ 


␈↓ α,␈↓        My␈α∂best␈α∂regards␈α∂to␈α∂Nina␈α∂and␈α∂your␈α∂children.␈α∂ Also␈α∂transmit␈α∂my␈α∂regards␈α∂to␈α∂Marchuk␈α∂when
␈↓ α,␈↓you next see him.

␈↓ α,␈↓        Your␈α∩colleague␈α∩Bobko␈α∩came␈α∩by␈α∩for␈α∩a␈α∩conference␈α∩at␈α∩Stanford.␈α∩ Unfortunately,␈α∩I␈α∩was␈α∩very
␈↓ α,␈↓busy␈α⊗and␈α⊗had␈α⊗to␈α⊗make␈α⊗a␈α⊗trip␈α⊗that␈α⊗week,␈α⊗so␈α⊗I␈α⊗didn't␈α⊗get␈α⊗a␈α⊗chance␈α⊗to␈α⊗invite␈α⊗him␈α⊗to␈α⊗visit␈α⊗the
␈↓ α,␈↓Department.␈α∩ However,␈α∩I␈α∩passed␈α∩your␈α∩letter␈α∩on␈α∩to␈α∩Feigenbaum,␈α∩who␈α∩may␈α∩have␈α∩had␈α∩some␈α∩time.
␈↓ α,␈↓Knuth is in Massachusetts for the year.

␈↓ α,␈↓        Bobko␈α∪gave␈α∪me␈α∪your␈α∪papers␈α∪and␈α∪the␈α∪book.␈α∪ I␈α∪was␈α∪impressed␈α∪by␈α∪the␈α∪size␈α∪of␈α∪the␈α∪edition.
␈↓ α,␈↓So␈α∪far␈α∪I␈α∪have␈α∪read␈α∪only␈α∪the␈α∪introduction,␈α∪and␈α∪I␈α∪was␈α∪wondering␈α∪whether␈α∪the␈α∪students␈α∪or␈α∪even
␈↓ α,␈↓their␈α≤teachers,␈α≤except␈α≤in␈α≤places␈α≤like␈α≤Akademgorodok,␈α≤will␈α≤follow␈α≤the␈α≤casual␈α≤references␈α≤to
␈↓ α,␈↓thermonuclear reactors, etc.


␈↓ α,␈↓Best regards,



␈↓ α,␈↓John McCarthy
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