COMMENT ⊗   VALID 00002 PAGES
C REC  PAGE   DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00002 00002	ARPA INITIATED DOD STANDARDS ON OFFICE COMPUTER SYSTEMS
C00012 ENDMK
C⊗;
ARPA INITIATED DOD STANDARDS ON OFFICE COMPUTER SYSTEMS


	This is a suggestion  that ARPA IPT initiate a  proposal that
the Defense Department  adopt a standard for office computer systems.
These systems  would  be provide  their  users  with the  ability  to
create, read and  edit documents and to communicate  with each other.
Additional  capabilities  that could  be  added at  low  cost without
damaging flexibility of design might be included in the standard.

	The  motivation   for  this  suggestion   is  the   following
situation:  ARPA  sponsored research  in  information processing  has
resulted ARPA supported laboratories acquiring incidentally to  their
research work office  computer facilities that have  proved extremely
valuable  in preparing documents  of all kinds  and in communication.
The connection of all these facilities with each other and  with ARPA
provided  by ARPAnet has  aided collaboration  in projects  and has
helped  ARPA manage  these laboratories.   There  is every  reason to
believe  that  the office  computer  facilities  will  be  even  more
valuable  to  organizations  mainly  doing  short term  planning  and
management rather than long  range research where slow  communication
is tolerable.  Moreover, it is also  clear that the research required
for  useful  applications is  long  done.   While  research questions
remain,  systems  already   exist  that   are  effectively  used   by
secretaries and  executives without  computer training  or interests.
The main lack is the export of this capability to DoD as a whole.

	Unfortunately  a  research  plan  aimed  at  improving office
capabilities and  extending their  availability  was shot  down by  a
Congressional  subcommittee.  We  shall propose  an alternate  way of
achieving this goal.

	First, let us point out that good  office computing is mainly
available  on  PDP-10 computers,  but  in a  variety  of time-sharing
systems.  TENEX is the most popular although the requirement  for the
BBN pager not made by D.E.C.   is an obstacle to its propagation, but
three  other time-sharing  systems that were  developed earlier (MIT,
Stanford, and  the CMU  version of  TDPS-10  - the  DEC system)  also
provide all  the needed facilities.  MIT's  Multics also provides it,
but not  in a  cost-effective  form -  judging  from the  little  use
Multics people  make of the  net.  There  is every reason  to believe
that  the standard  TOPS-10 monitor  can  support the  facilities and
would if users of it were attached  to ARPA net.  On the other  hand,
it appears that  almost no users of IBM 370  systems have implemented
the  full  set  of  office  facilities  including  both  editing  and
communication in a cost-effective way.   It is not clear why  this is
so, but the reason could  be lack of cost-effective good terminals, a
defect in the operating system, or just a lack of communication  with
the network using community.

	On the other hand, valuable office use  of computers does not
require a  PDP-10.  Minicomputer based  systems are entirely feasible
and could be produced by  many manufacturers provided they had a  set
of   specifications  that   included  the   essentials  and   avoided
cost-raising frills.

	In  my  opinion,  the  ARPA-IPT  contractor  community  could
develop such standards in  a few meetings of a  well-chosen committee
provided   the   members   refrained   from  making   the   committee
deliberations a  vehicle  for  doing  new  research.    However,  for
political reasons, the  committee should be appointed by  some higher
authority in DoD and should represent various interests.

	The  task of the  Office Computer  Standards Committee (OCSC)
would be to publish a set  of standards to be met by office  computer
facilities purchased by DoD.   The standards would cover both systems
dedicated to  office work and criteria for allowing a computer system
that does  other work to  be advertised  as having office  capability
also.

	In my  opinion, the initial standard should  be a performance
standard and  their should  be no  immediate attempt  to  standardize
languages,  editors  or commands,  although  certain  recommendations
might be  made of programs already considered  to meet the standards.
This will avoid an  enormous amount of  pulling and tugging and  will
permit improvements in these areas.

	The OCSC 77 standard might include the following:

	1. The system must support display terminals having a maximum
incremental cost of $1500 as well as KSR teletypes.

	2.  The system  must  support enough  terminals to  achieve a
per-terminal system cost  of $8000 unless  the office facilities  are
auxiliary to some other function of the computer system.

	3. The  system must support a document  quality printer, e.g.
XGP equivalent.

	4. It must provide  for time-shared access  to its users  and
must not require operators unless the office facilities are auxiliary
to its other functions.

	5. It must  provide a suitable editor.  Standards for this to
be described separately.

	6. It must support a  file system with a reasonable cost  for
long term storage of files.

	7. It must  provide a mail system analogous to  those used in
ARPAnet.

	8.   There  must  be  system   commands  for  copying  files,
destroying them, using directories, etc.  (List to be provided.)

	9.  It  must   be  able  to  communicate   with  ARPAnet-like
capability with computers  meeting a suitable communication standard.
In my opinion, the required communication should be dial-up telephone
in order not to involve this standard with the more difficult problem
of DoD  networking.  However, connectability to  the ARPAnet may also
required.  In the case of inexpensive systems, this might be provided
by the system automatically dialing a TIP.

	10. There  should be  auxiliary security  standards, possibly
defined   later,   for   systems  certified   to   handle  classified
information.

	In my  opinion, if ARPA-IPT  were to  succeed in getting  the
standard defined, many  manufacturers would offer products that would
greatly increase the effectiveness of DoD management.