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\address 
Dr. John Nafeh
MAD Computer
2950 Zanker Road
San Jose, CA 95134

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Dear John:

	This is the clarification you requested of the fifth point of my
previous memo.

In many cases the interfaces between database systems and
expert system shells will have to inhabit either the computer
environment of the database or that of the shell (if they're
different).  In other cases, it may be necessary to use
separate computer equipment, and in this case there is an
opportunity to use the MAD 3 computer.

The reason why separate equipment may be required is that
some computer systems are entirely dedicated to particular software.
Modifying this software may be infeasible either because the
users may not know how to do it or (more often) because they
need to maintain compatibility with expected future versions
of the same software to be obtained from somewhere else.
When such software contains the database system, the best solution
to interacting it may be to put the interface software in a
separate computer that interacts with the database computer
as though it were a user.

I hope this clarifies the point I was making.  Let me
again emphasize that this is somewhat conjectural, and the actual
extent of the opportunity to use MAD hardware needs to be determined
by a market survey by someone familiar with the database systems
with which it may be necessary to interact.

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Sincerely,       

John McCarthy    
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%cc: Matthew Kahn
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%P.S.: whatever you wish to say here

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