AN INITIAL SET OF HOME TERMINAL APPLICATIONS

	 ␈ ¬We ␈ ¬won't ␈ ¬get ␈ ∧all ␈ ∧books ␈ ∧and ␈ ∧newspapers ␈ ∧published ␈ ∧as ␈ ∧computer ␈ ∧files ␈ ∧or ␈ ∧get ␈ ∧all ␈ ∧car ␈ ∧dealers ␈ ∧to ␈ ∧advertise ␈ ∧their
chariots ␈ βthrough ␈ βthe ␈ βpublic ␈ βinformation ␈ βutility ␈ βuntil ␈ βthere ␈ βare ␈ βenough ␈ βhome ␈ βterminals ␈ βto ␈ αmake ␈ αa ␈ αmarket, ␈ αand ␈ αthe ␈ αhome
terminal ␈ ∧won't ␈ ∧reach ␈ ∧its ␈ ∧full ␈ ∧usefulness ␈ ∧until ␈ ∧these ␈ ∧facilities ␈ ∧are ␈ ∧available. ␈ ∧In ␈ ∧fact, ␈ ∧it ␈ βis ␈ βnon-trivial ␈ βto ␈ βdevise ␈ βa ␈ βset ␈ βof
applications ␈ αthat ␈ αcan ␈ αbe ␈ αdone ␈ αnow ␈ αuseful ␈ αenough ␈ αto ␈ αjustify ␈ αanyone ␈ αbut ␈ αa ␈ αprogrammer ␈ αtolerating ␈ αa ␈ αterminal ␈ αin ␈ αhis ␈ ↓house
let ␈ ↓alone ␈ ↓paying for it. Nevertheless, we think we have a set of home terminal applications large enough to make a viable
system and we hope to think of more. It wasn't easy, but here they are:

	 ␈ α1. ␈ αFirst ␈ αof ␈ αall, ␈ ↓Martin ␈ ↓Frost, ␈ ↓one ␈ ↓of ␈ ↓our ␈ ↓graduate ␈ ↓students, ␈ ↓has ␈ ↓already ␈ ↓programmed ␈ ↓a ␈ ↓news ␈ ↓service ␈ ↓based ␈ ↓on ␈ ↓the
Associated ␈ ↓Press ␈ ↓national ␈ ↓and ␈ ↓international ␈ ↓news ␈ ↓wire ␈ ↓and put it into our time-sharing system. The AP wire is connected
to ␈ εthe ␈ εcomputer, ␈ εand ␈ εthe ␈ εstories ␈ εare ␈ εclassified ␈ εand ␈ εfiled ␈ εon ␈ εthe ␈ εdisk ␈ εas ␈ εthey ␈ εcome ␈ ¬in. ␈ ¬The ␈ ¬present ␈ ¬classification ␈ ¬is
according ␈ εto ␈ εthe ␈ εpresence ␈ εof ␈ εseveral ␈ εhundred ␈ ¬key ␈ ¬words ␈ ¬in ␈ ¬the ␈ ¬stories ␈ ¬- ␈ ¬e.g. ␈ ¬the ␈ ¬names ␈ ¬of ␈ ¬countries, ␈ ¬states, ␈ ¬cities,
prominent ␈ ¬people, ␈ ¬and ␈ ¬various ␈ ¬topics. ␈ ¬A ␈ ∧user ␈ ∧of ␈ ∧the ␈ ∧system ␈ ∧gives ␈ ∧a ␈ ∧Boolean ␈ ∧combination ␈ ∧of ␈ ∧key ␈ ∧words ␈ ∧(e.g. ␈ ∧Nixon ␈ ∧-
Vietnam) ␈ ∧and ␈ ∧his ␈ ∧told ␈ ∧how ␈ ∧many ␈ ∧stories ␈ ∧there ␈ ∧are ␈ ∧corresponding ␈ ∧to ␈ ∧this ␈ βexpression ␈ β(e.g. ␈ βhe ␈ βmay ␈ βbe ␈ βtold ␈ βthere ␈ βare ␈ β11
stories ␈ βcontaining ␈ βthe ␈ βword ␈ βNixon ␈ βand ␈ βnot ␈ βthe ␈ βword ␈ αVietnam). ␈ αHe ␈ αcan ␈ αthen ␈ αsee ␈ αthe ␈ αfirst ␈ αfew ␈ αlines ␈ αof ␈ αthese ␈ αstories ␈ αand
select ␈ αwhich ␈ αones ␈ αhe ␈ αwishes ␈ αto ␈ αread ␈ αin ␈ αfull. ␈ αThe ␈ αprogram ␈ αhas ␈ αbeen ␈ ↓available ␈ ↓since ␈ ↓August ␈ ↓and ␈ ↓is ␈ ↓used ␈ ↓about ␈ ↓1000 ␈ ↓times
per ␈ ↓month, ␈ ↓about ␈ ↓half ␈ ↓of ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓use ␈ ↓is ␈ ↓from ␈ ↓our ␈ ↓laboratory ␈ ↓and ␈ ↓about ␈ ↓half ␈ ↓over ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓ARPA ␈ ↓network. ␈ ↓With ␈ ↓publicity, ␈ ↓it ␈ ↓would
be more used which would not be to our advantage.

	 ␈ αThis ␈ αpreliminary ␈ αexperiment ␈ αis ␈ αthe ␈ αonly ␈ αone ␈ αwe ␈ αhave ␈ αalready ␈ αdone. ␈ αWe ␈ αpropose ␈ αto ␈ αimprove ␈ ↓it ␈ ↓in ␈ ↓various ␈ ↓ways,
and ␈ ↓here ␈ ↓are some of the possibilities: add more news, keep more than one day's worth, allow a keyword like "animal" to
get ␈ λall ␈ λstories ␈ πmentioning ␈ πdogs, ␈ πcats, ␈ πetc., ␈ πgive ␈ πthe ␈ πsystem ␈ πsome ␈ πsophisticated ␈ πquestion ␈ πanswering ␈ πand ␈ πinformation
retrieval ␈ ∧capability, ␈ ∧and ␈ ∧see ␈ ∧what ␈ ∧can ␈ ∧be ␈ ∧done ␈ ∧by ␈ ∧a ␈ ∧human ␈ βeditor ␈ βaided ␈ βby ␈ βthe ␈ βcomputer ␈ βin ␈ βproducing ␈ βa ␈ βmore ␈ βuseful
computerized ␈ ↓"newspaper". ␈ ↓To ␈ ↓tell ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓truth, ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓program ␈ ↓has ␈ ↓been ␈ ↓so ␈ ↓well ␈ ↓accepted ␈ ↓in ␈ ↓its ␈ ↓initial ␈ ↓crude form that making
it sophisticated may merely gild the lily, but we shall see.


	 ␈ α2. ␈ αThe ␈ αsecond ␈ αapplication ␈ αis ␈ αsimply ␈ αreading. ␈ αInitially, ␈ αthere ␈ ↓won't ␈ ↓be ␈ ↓much ␈ ↓entertaining ␈ ↓or ␈ ↓educational ␈ ↓reading ␈ ↓in
the ␈ ↓system, but we can put some in for the purpose. It is necessary to determine what aids such as "subroutine jumps" to
cross ␈ ∧references ␈ ∧will ␈ ∧be ␈ ∧helpful ␈ ∧and ␈ ∧how ␈ ∧the ␈ ∧advantages ␈ ∧of ␈ ∧such ␈ βcomputer ␈ βaids ␈ βcompare ␈ βwith ␈ βthe ␈ βadvantages ␈ βof ␈ βhard
copy. We do not forsee a good individual hard copy device during the research period proposed here.

	 ␈ ε3. ␈ εA ␈ εlocal ␈ εinformation ␈ εsystem ␈ εupdated ␈ ¬by ␈ ¬a ␈ ¬clerk. ␈ ¬In ␈ ¬this, ␈ ¬it ␈ ¬is ␈ ¬not ␈ ¬obvious ␈ ¬how ␈ ¬to ␈ ¬compete ␈ ¬with ␈ ¬the ␈ ¬local
newspaper, ␈ βbut ␈ βvery ␈ βlikely ␈ βthere ␈ βis ␈ αenough ␈ αinformation ␈ αnot ␈ αkept ␈ αin ␈ αnewspapers ␈ αto ␈ αbe ␈ αworth ␈ αhaving ␈ αone ␈ αfull ␈ αtime ␈ αclerk
putting it in. If there is, we'll employ the clerk.

	 ␈ π4. ␈ πConnection ␈ πto ␈ πinstitutional ␈ πcomputer ␈ πsystems. ␈ πPossibilities ␈ πare ␈ εairline ␈ εreservation ␈ εsystems, ␈ εticket ␈ εbooking
systems, ␈ βand ␈ βthe ␈ βUniversity's ␈ βadministrative ␈ βcomputer ␈ βsystem. ␈ βThe ␈ βidea ␈ βis ␈ βto ␈ βmake ␈ βinterfaces ␈ βthat ␈ βare ␈ βuniform ␈ αto ␈ αthe
home ␈ βterminal ␈ βuser ␈ βand ␈ βgive ␈ βhim ␈ βthe ␈ βfacilities ␈ βthat ␈ βthe ␈ βproprietor ␈ βof ␈ βthe ␈ βcomputer ␈ βsystem ␈ βis ␈ βwilling ␈ αfor ␈ αindividuals ␈ αto
have. ␈ ∧A ␈ ∧way ␈ ∧of ␈ ∧having ␈ ∧the ␈ ∧user ␈ ∧identify ␈ ∧himself ␈ ∧may ␈ ∧be ␈ ∧necessary. ␈ ∧It ␈ ∧may ␈ ∧be ␈ ∧possible ␈ ∧to ␈ ∧get ␈ βat ␈ βone ␈ βblow ␈ βaccess ␈ βto
systems ␈ ↓residing ␈ ↓in ␈ ↓a ␈ ↓local ␈ ↓time-sharing ␈ ↓service ␈ ↓bureau. ␈ ↓In ␈ ↓general, ␈ ↓we ␈ ↓will ␈ ↓explore ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓possibilities ␈ ↓of co-operating with
them and perhaps having them take over the services when this is reasonable.

	 ␈ ¬Another ␈ ¬possibility ␈ ¬in ␈ ¬this ␈ ¬direction ␈ ¬arises ␈ ¬in ␈ ¬connection ␈ ¬with ␈ ¬the ␈ ¬fact ␈ ¬that ␈ ∧financial ␈ ∧institutions ␈ ∧are ␈ ∧studying
electronic ␈ βtransfer ␈ αof ␈ αfunds. ␈ αWe ␈ αwould ␈ αlike ␈ αto ␈ αconsider ␈ αthis ␈ αquestion ␈ αin ␈ αconnection ␈ αwith ␈ αthe ␈ αhome ␈ αterminal ␈ αand ␈ αsee ␈ αhow
this ␈ αfacility ␈ αmight ␈ αbe ␈ αintegrated ␈ αinto ␈ αthe ␈ αlarger ␈ αset ␈ αof ␈ αservices ␈ αthat ␈ αa ␈ ↓home ␈ ↓terminal ␈ ↓might ␈ ↓provide. ␈ ↓We ␈ ↓suspect ␈ ↓that ␈ ↓the
financial institutions might have too specialized interests to do this right and might welcome some interaction.

	 ␈ 5. ␈ CAI. ␈ We ␈ propose ␈ to ␈ make ␈ this ␈ an ␈ exercise ␈ in ␈ 
transplantation. ␈ 
The ␈ 
idea ␈ 
is ␈ 
not ␈ 
to ␈ 
make ␈ 
our ␈ 
own
computer-aided-instruction ␈ ∧system ␈ ∧but ␈ ∧rather ␈ ∧solve ␈ ∧the ␈ ∧problem ␈ ∧of ␈ ∧transplanting ␈ ∧an ␈ ∧already ␈ ∧developed ␈ ∧system ␈ ∧to ␈ ∧our
machine.

	 ␈ ↓6. ␈ ↓Desk ␈ ↓calculation ␈ ↓with ␈ ↓extensions. ␈ ↓This ␈ ↓is ␈ ↓straightforward ␈ ↓and ␈ ↓of ␈ ↓limited ␈ ↓usefulness ␈ ↓to ␈ ↓most ␈ ↓people, but we'll do
it.

	 ␈ ε7. ␈ εA ␈ εdiscussion ␈ εsystem ␈ εbased ␈ εon ␈ εthe ␈ ¬articles ␈ ¬in ␈ ¬a ␈ ¬magazine. ␈ ¬This ␈ ¬would ␈ ¬require ␈ ¬having ␈ ¬a ␈ ¬number ␈ ¬of ␈ ¬users
interested in reacting in writing to discussion on a topic. It may or may not be feasible.

	 ␈ ¬8. ␈ ∧Other ␈ ∧applications ␈ ∧that ␈ ∧have ␈ ∧been ␈ ∧suggested ␈ ∧include ␈ ∧finding ␈ ∧the ␈ ∧best ␈ ∧route ␈ ∧for ␈ ∧driving ␈ ∧to ␈ ∧an ␈ ∧address, ␈ ∧some
amusements ␈ βand ␈ βgames, ␈ βand ␈ βsome ␈ βkind ␈ βof ␈ αclothing ␈ αdesign ␈ αsystem. ␈ αWe ␈ αdon't ␈ αpromise ␈ αto ␈ αdo ␈ αall ␈ αthose ␈ αmentioned ␈ αand ␈ αwill
undoubtedly do some not mentioned.

	 ␈ εIt ␈ εis ␈ εnot ␈ εclear ␈ εhow ␈ εdifficult ␈ εit ␈ ¬is ␈ ¬to ␈ ¬do ␈ ¬these ␈ ¬applications ␈ ¬or ␈ ¬how ␈ ¬long ␈ ¬it ␈ ¬will ␈ ¬take ␈ ¬to ␈ ¬get ␈ ¬people ␈ ¬to ␈ ¬take ␈ ¬a
professional interest in them.