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 				            Date:  September 12, 1973



To: Bob Floyd

From: John McCarthy

Subject: Notes on our conversation

\J	As I promised,  here are some  notes on the points  raised in
our conversation today.\.

\J	1.  The  plan for  the  SCIP  to operate  a  PDP-10  is being
developed by  a subsubcommittee  of the  subcommittee on  instruction
and research of  the campus  computer facilities  committee.   The subsubcommittee
consists  of me,  Baskett, Ralph Gorin  from our lab, and Jim Lipkis,
a sometime undergraduate  and ASSU representative  who works in  SCIP
as a  370 programmer.   They will come out  with a plan  for the next
meeting of the subcommittee.\.

\J	I  have   serious  doubts   that  SCIP   will  give   serious
consideration to  the PDP-10 alternative,  because of  their fixation
on IBM.   I think that the Computer  Science Department should put on
some pressure.  At some point the department should raise  the matter
with Miller, and it would be good if you did so personally.\.

\J	2. I  would like  to use  Suppes' machine  for my  class this
fall to  ease the load on the ARPA PDP-10, and I think he needs money
enough to allow this if we can get permission  to use Provost's funds
for the  purpose.  This would  also sharpen the  issue of interactive
computing with  SCIP.    Joe  van  Campen,  who  is  head  of  Slavic
languages, has  used both the  PDP-10 and the  67 and can  testify to
the  difference.    I  think  the  department might  consider  asking
permission to make  a regular arrangement with  Suppes to spend  some
Provost's funds on using interactive computing in advanced classes.\.

\JSuppes  will not  return from  his  trip to  the Far  East until  the
nineteenth, but I would like to raise the matter with him then.\.

\J	3. I  think we should proceed to build the CSD display system
as soon as the Department can get together and decide.   There may be
a proposal from D.E.C. for a cheaper but less capable system.\.



					Sincerely,