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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ ε∪␈↓λ LOTS
␈↓ ↓H␈↓λ␈↓ βc␈↓π (Stanford University Low Overhead Time-Sharing System)

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓∧John McCarthy, Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
⊗June 28, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. John Leng
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Vice-President
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Digital Equipment Corporation
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Marlboro, Massachusetts 01752

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear John:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈αKL-10␈αis␈αnow␈αworking␈αin␈αour␈αsystem,␈αand␈αwe␈αare␈αvery␈αpleased␈αwith␈αit.␈α It␈αseems␈αto␈αbe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓generally␈α
≡ve␈α
times␈α
faster␈α
than␈α
the␈α
KA-10␈α
and␈α
for␈α
some␈α
of␈α
our␈α
applications␈α
it␈α
seems␈α
to␈α
be␈αas␈α
much
␈↓ ↓H␈↓as␈α⊂ten␈α∂times␈α⊂faster.␈α∂ I␈α⊂say␈α∂"seems",␈α⊂because␈α∂there␈α⊂are␈α∂now␈α⊂questions␈α∂about␈α⊂the␈α∂accuracy␈α⊂of␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓previous␈α
timings␈α
on␈α
the␈α
KA-10,␈α
and␈α
we␈α
aren't␈α
going␈α
to␈α
roll␈α
back␈α
to␈α
do␈α
them.␈α
 We␈α
will␈α
schedule
␈↓ ↓H␈↓our dedication ceremony as soon as we can line up our speakers.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        However,␈αI␈αam␈αmainly␈αwriting␈αyou␈αabout␈αa␈αdi≥erent␈αmatter.␈α Stanford␈αhas␈αdecided␈αto␈αcreate
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a␈α
␈↓↓Low␈α
Overhead␈α
Time-sharing␈α
System␈↓␈α
(abbreviated␈αLOTS),␈α
and␈α
I␈α
have␈α
been␈α
appointed␈αDirector;
␈↓ ↓H␈↓there␈α
will␈α
also␈α
be␈αa␈α
manager,␈α
and␈α
my␈α
main␈αinterest␈α
will␈α
still␈α
be␈αthe␈α
AI␈α
Lab.␈α
 LOTS␈α
has␈αseveral
␈↓ ↓H␈↓objectives,␈α∞the␈α
≡rst␈α∞of␈α
which␈α∞is␈α
to␈α∞convert␈α∞use␈α
of␈α∞computing␈α
for␈α∞courses␈α
to␈α∞a␈α∞time-sharing␈α
mode
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α⊂to␈α⊂provide␈α⊂new␈α⊂opportunities␈α⊃for␈α⊂undergraduate␈α⊂and␈α⊂graduate␈α⊂student␈α⊂computing␈α⊃free␈α⊂of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓charge.␈α
 Beyond␈αthat,␈α
I␈αhope␈α
to␈α
get␈αstudents␈α
and␈αfaculty␈α
into␈α
the␈αhabit␈α
of␈αusing␈α
the␈α
computer␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓prepare and store term papers, theses and books.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        A␈αDECSystem␈α2040␈αwith␈α
delivery␈αscheduled␈αfor␈αNovember␈αhas␈α
been␈αselected,␈αand␈αI␈αthink␈α
it
␈↓ ↓H␈↓will␈α
work␈α
very␈α
well.␈α
 However,␈α
there␈α
are␈αtwo␈α
problems␈α
with␈α
the␈α
2040␈α
whose␈α
solution␈α
is␈αrequired
␈↓ ↓H␈↓not␈α∀only␈α∪for␈α∀Stanford␈α∪but␈α∀also␈α∪for␈α∀any␈α∀large␈α∪scale␈α∀use␈α∪of␈α∀the␈α∪D.E.C.␈α∀2040␈α∀in␈α∪educational
␈↓ ↓H␈↓institutions:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈αThe␈α≡rst␈α
is␈αthe␈αprice␈α
of␈αmanuals.␈α We␈α
are␈αplanning␈αan␈α
extremely␈αlow␈αoverhead␈α
operation;
␈↓ ↓H␈↓LOTS␈α∞will␈α∞have␈α
only␈α∞three␈α∞employees.␈α∞ Users␈α
will␈α∞have␈α∞to␈α
teach␈α∞themselves␈α∞using␈α∞the␈α
manuals,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α
students␈α
will␈α
buy␈α
manuals␈α
at␈α
the␈αStanford␈α
Bookstore␈α
in␈α
addition␈α
to␈α
their␈α
texts.␈α
 At␈αthe␈α
current
␈↓ ↓H␈↓price␈α
of␈α
D.E.C.␈α
manuals,␈α
this␈α
is␈α
prohibitive.␈α
 For␈α
example,␈α
a␈α
student␈α
who␈α
wants␈α
only␈α
to␈α
program␈α
in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Fortran␈α
should␈α
buy␈α
$39.20␈α
worth␈α
of␈α
manuals␈α
in␈αaddition␈α
to␈α
his␈α
text,␈α
while␈α
a␈α
student␈α
who␈αwishes␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓program␈α
only␈α
in␈α
assembly␈α
language␈α
should␈α
buy␈α$79␈α
worth␈α
of␈α
manuals.␈α
 A␈α
student␈α
who␈αwishes␈α
only
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α∞prepare␈α∂reports␈α∞using␈α∞the␈α∂editor␈α∞and␈α∂print␈α∞them␈α∞with␈α∂RUNOFF␈α∞need␈α∞spend␈α∂a␈α∞mere␈α∂$30␈α∞on
␈↓ ↓H␈↓manuals.␈α∂ The␈α∞manuals␈α∂di≥er␈α∞in␈α∂popularity.␈α∞ The␈α∂basic␈α∞␈↓↓Getting␈α∂started␈α∞with␈α∂the␈α∞DECsystem-20␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓will␈αsell␈α
between␈α500␈αand␈α
1000␈αcopies␈αper␈α
year.␈α It␈αis␈α
42␈αpages␈αlong,␈α
and␈αits␈αpresent␈α
price␈αis␈α$10.␈α
 It
␈↓ ↓H␈↓should␈α
be␈α
$1.00␈αor␈α
at␈α
most␈α$2.00␈α
considering␈α
its␈α
length.␈α We␈α
are␈α
talking␈αto␈α
Jim␈α
Sta≥ord␈αhere␈α
about
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α∀problem,␈α∃but␈α∀I␈α∃think␈α∀it␈α∃requires␈α∀higher␈α∀level␈α∃attention,␈α∀because␈α∃of␈α∀its␈α∃importance␈α∀for
␈↓ ↓H␈↓widespread student use of the machine.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αMr. John Leng␈↓ ¬rJune 28, 1976␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈αThe␈α
second␈αproblem␈α
is␈αthe␈α
limitation␈αon␈α
number␈αof␈α
≡les␈αand␈α
directories␈αimposed␈α
by␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓operating␈α∂system.␈α∂ At␈α∂present␈α∂1600␈α∂directories␈α⊂and␈α∂1600␈α∂≡les␈α∂are␈α∂allowed,␈α∂I␈α∂understand.␈α⊂ I␈α∂also
␈↓ ↓H␈↓understand␈αthat␈αthis␈αis␈αbeing␈αincreased.␈α In␈αthe␈αAI␈αLab,␈αwe␈αhave␈αabout␈α400␈αuser␈αnames␈α(some␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓which␈αare␈αinactive),␈αperhaps␈α1000␈αdirectories␈αand␈αabout␈α20,000␈α≡les.␈α LOTS␈αwill␈αhave␈αmore␈αusers
␈↓ ↓H␈↓almost␈αfrom␈αthe␈αbeginning,␈αperhaps␈α1000␈αwithin␈αthe␈α≡rst␈αyear␈αand␈αmay␈αgrow␈αto␈αseveral␈αthousand
␈↓ ↓H␈↓within␈αa␈αfew␈αyears.␈α Few␈αusers␈αwill␈αhave␈αmore␈αthan␈αone␈αdirectory,␈αhowever.␈α The␈αnumber␈αof␈α≡les
␈↓ ↓H␈↓may␈αtypically␈αbe␈α
about␈α10␈αper␈α
user,␈αthough␈αsome␈αwill␈α
have␈αa␈αhundred␈α
or␈αmore.␈α Naturally,␈αwe␈α
will
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have␈α⊃to␈α⊃buy␈α∩more␈α⊃disks␈α⊃to␈α⊃accomodate␈α∩this␈α⊃demand.␈α⊃ The␈α⊃use␈α∩of␈α⊃LOTS␈α⊃for␈α∩preparing␈α⊃and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓keeping theses, etc. will require an especially large ≡le system.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∩hope␈α⊃you␈α∩will␈α⊃be␈α∩able␈α⊃to␈α∩help␈α⊃solve␈α∩these␈α⊃problems,␈α∩and␈α⊃I␈α∩look␈α⊃forward␈α∩to␈α⊃another
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mutually satisfactory relationship with D.E.C.  in addition to that involving the AI Lab.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓cc: James Sta≥ord