QUESTIONS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE


	 The main questions of computer science that we have identified so far are:

	 ␈ ↓1. ␈ ↓How ␈ ↓to ␈ ↓make ␈ ↓programs ␈ ↓that ␈ ↓interact ␈ ↓with ␈ ↓people, ␈ ↓files, ␈ ↓and ␈ ↓computers ␈ ↓portable. ␈ ↓The ␈ ↓key ␈ ↓to this seems to lie in
identifying the semantics of the interactions and separating it from syntax and hardware.

	 ␈ α2. ␈ αA ␈ αsecond ␈ αproblem ␈ αis ␈ αto ␈ ↓develop ␈ ↓a ␈ ↓language ␈ ↓for ␈ ↓expressing ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓kinds ␈ ↓of ␈ ↓things ␈ ↓computer ␈ ↓programs ␈ ↓belonging ␈ ↓to
different ␈ ↓institutions ␈ ↓or ␈ ↓individuals ␈ ↓might ␈ ↓say ␈ ↓to ␈ ↓each ␈ ↓other. ␈ ↓These ␈ ↓include ␈ ↓price ␈ ↓and ␈ ↓other ␈ ↓inquiries, purchase orders, etc.
This problem goes beyond the home terminal application.

	 ␈ α3. ␈ αA ␈ αuniform ␈ αsystem ␈ ↓for ␈ ↓making ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓facilities ␈ ↓of ␈ ↓a ␈ ↓program ␈ ↓available ␈ ↓to ␈ ↓an ␈ ↓inexperienced ␈ ↓user ␈ ↓- ␈ ↓distinguishing ␈ ↓a
user ␈ ∧who ␈ βis ␈ βinexperienced ␈ βwith ␈ βthe ␈ βparticular ␈ βprogram ␈ βfrom ␈ βthe ␈ βuser ␈ βwho ␈ βis ␈ βinexperienced ␈ βwith ␈ βinteractive ␈ βprograms
altogether. ␈ αThe ␈ αlatter ␈ ↓needs ␈ ↓some ␈ ↓tutoring, ␈ ↓but ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓former ␈ ↓can ␈ ↓probably ␈ ↓do ␈ ↓a ␈ ↓lot ␈ ↓without ␈ ↓reading ␈ ↓or ␈ ↓formal ␈ ↓instruction ␈ ↓if
things ␈ αwork ␈ αin ␈ αa ␈ αuniform ␈ αand ␈ αself-documenting ␈ αway. ␈ αThis ␈ αis ␈ αespecially ␈ αimportant ␈ ↓in ␈ ↓the ␈ ↓home ␈ ↓terminal ␈ ↓context, ␈ ↓because
we ␈ ↓envisage ␈ ↓that ␈ ↓when ␈ ↓home ␈ ↓terminals ␈ ↓are ␈ ↓well developed, there will be literally thousands of services available, and the
utility of any particular service will depend on how easy it is to start using it.

	 ␈ ↓4. ␈ ↓One ␈ ↓idea ␈ ↓we ␈ ↓shall ␈ ↓explore ␈ ↓is ␈ ↓that ␈ ↓of ␈ ↓non-hierarchical ␈ ↓control ␈ ↓systems ␈ ↓which ␈ ↓allow ␈ ↓a ␈ ↓user ␈ ↓to ␈ ↓get ␈ ↓at any facility
of the system whatever he has just been doing without losing the state of his current activity.

	 ␈ β5. ␈ βWe ␈ βshall ␈ βwork ␈ βon ␈ βthe ␈ βproblems ␈ βof ␈ βsecurity ␈ βand ␈ βprivacy ␈ βof ␈ βpresented ␈ βby ␈ βhome ␈ βterminals ␈ βto ␈ βassure ␈ βboth ␈ αthe
privacy of the individual and the security of the systems that he uses.

	 ␈ β6. ␈ αHome ␈ αterminals ␈ αraise ␈ αa ␈ αnumber ␈ αof ␈ αproblems ␈ αin ␈ αdisplay ␈ αgeneration ␈ αand ␈ αmaintenance. ␈ αPresent ␈ αsystems ␈ αare ␈ αfar
from ideal.

	 ␈ ∧7. ␈ βThe ␈ βwidespread ␈ βsharing ␈ βof ␈ βinteractive ␈ βprograms ␈ βwill ␈ βprobably ␈ βrequire ␈ βa ␈ βnumber ␈ βof ␈ βsoftware ␈ βand ␈ βhardware
standards. ␈ ↓We ␈ ↓propose ␈ ↓to ␈ ↓study ␈ ↓the requirements for a standard general purpose terminal only those features required to
make ␈ αservices ␈ αwork ␈ αeverywhere ␈ αwould ␈ αbe ␈ αstandardized, ␈ αa ␈ αstandardizable ␈ αset ␈ αof ␈ αdisplay ␈ αcommands, ␈ αa ␈ ↓standardizable ␈ ↓set
of ␈ αoperations ␈ αfor ␈ αhuman ␈ αinteraction ␈ αand ␈ αinteraction ␈ αwith ␈ αfiles, ␈ αa ␈ αfile ␈ αdescription ␈ αsystem ␈ αthat ␈ αwould ␈ αpermit ␈ αany ␈ ↓file ␈ ↓on ␈ ↓a
mass ␈ εstorage ␈ εdevice ␈ εin ␈ εthe ␈ εcountry ␈ εto ␈ εbe ␈ εdescribed ␈ εso ␈ εthat ␈ εdata ␈ εcould ␈ εbe ␈ ¬obtained ␈ ¬from ␈ ¬it ␈ ¬over ␈ ¬telecommunication
networks, and standards for documents in arbitrary character sets and with pictures.

	 ␈ ↓The ␈ ↓object ␈ ↓of ␈ ↓these ␈ ↓standardizability ␈ ↓efforts ␈ ↓is ␈ ↓not ␈ ↓to get the standards accepted, although this might happen if we
design ␈ βthem ␈ βwell ␈ βenough. ␈ αAll ␈ αwe ␈ αreally ␈ αpropose ␈ αto ␈ αdo ␈ αis ␈ αto ␈ αstudy ␈ αthe ␈ αproblems ␈ αfrom ␈ αa ␈ αnon-parochial ␈ αpoint ␈ αof ␈ αview ␈ αand
make proposals that could be a basis for discussion of standards.