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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Department of Computer Science, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone: 415 497-4430␈↓ 	pJanuary 28, 1986 

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Electronic mail: JMC␈↓@␈↓∧SU-AI␈↓
.␈↓∧ARPA




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Andrei Ershov
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Computing Center
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Novosibirsk 630090
␈↓ ↓H␈↓USSR

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Andrei,

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It was good to get your Christmas letter.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓indicates.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓o≥ers of collaboration from Americans with similar interests.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and is doing well.  Enclosed are some pictures.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Mostly␈α_I␈α_am␈α_working␈α_on␈α_formalizing␈α_common␈α_sense␈α_knowledge␈α_using␈α_variants␈α_of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓circumscriptions.␈α∪ The␈α∪logic␈α∪part␈α∪is␈α∪going␈α∪particularly␈α∪well,␈α∪since␈α∪my␈α∪collaborator,␈α∪Vladimir
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓not all its problems have been solved.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓called␈αImagen␈αthat␈αmakes␈αlaser␈αprinters.␈α This␈αis␈αin␈αconnection␈αwith␈αa␈αproject␈αto␈αmake␈αa␈αLisp␈αfor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓parallel␈αcomputers.␈α The␈αlanguage␈αis␈αcalled␈αQlisp.␈α A␈αpaper␈αon␈αit␈αby␈αRichard␈αGabriel␈αand␈αmyself
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓something else, agreed his usage was retired, so we could have the name.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓developed many years ago.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αProfessor Andrei Ershov␈↓ ¬[January 28, 1986␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        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
␈↓ ↓H␈↓you next see him.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Best regards,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy