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␈↓ ↓H␈↓α␈↓ ↓cMASS PERSONAL COMPUTING REQUIRES COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA BASES
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ ¬Lby John McCarthy

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The␈αmain␈αpotential␈αapplications␈αof␈αpersonal␈αcomputers␈αrequire␈αcommunication␈αfacilities,␈αfor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓which␈αvoice␈αgrade␈αtelephone␈αlines␈αare␈αadequate,␈αand␈αthe␈αexistence␈αof␈αsuitable␈αdata␈αbases.␈α I␈αthink
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α⊂stand-alone␈α⊂personal␈α∂computer␈α⊂will␈α⊂remain␈α⊂a␈α∂toy␈α⊂except␈α⊂when␈α⊂upgraded␈α∂to␈α⊂the␈α⊂level␈α⊂of␈α∂a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓word-processing␈α∪system␈α∪with␈α∩a␈α∪good␈α∪typewriter␈α∩and␈α∪good␈α∪local␈α∩storage.␈α∪ Even␈α∪with␈α∪this,␈α∩its
␈↓ ↓H␈↓applications␈α⊃will␈α⊂remain␈α⊃limited␈α⊃to␈α⊂those␈α⊃who␈α⊂do␈α⊃considerable␈α⊃writing.␈α⊂ For␈α⊃example,␈α⊃using␈α⊂a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer␈α∂for␈α∂personal␈α∂bookkeeping␈α∞will␈α∂not␈α∂find␈α∂much␈α∞use␈α∂if␈α∂all␈α∂the␈α∞data␈α∂must␈α∂be␈α∂entered␈α∞by
␈↓ ↓H␈↓hand,␈α
and␈αno-one␈α
will␈αkeep␈α
an␈αinventory␈α
of␈αhis␈α
pantry␈αif␈α
he␈αhas␈α
to␈αenter␈α
each␈αcan␈α
of␈α
soup␈αinto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈αsystem␈αand␈αremove␈αit␈αwhen␈αhe␈αeats.␈α With␈αcommunication␈αmany␈αthings␈αbecome␈α
possible␈αsuch
␈↓ ↓H␈↓as:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_1.␈αIf␈αthe␈αtexts␈αof␈αthe␈α
books␈αof␈αa␈αbig␈αlibrary␈αare␈α
accessible,␈αmy␈αneed␈αto␈αown␈αbooks␈αis␈α
reduced,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and impulses to learn something can be satisfied.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_2.␈αThe␈αavailability␈αof␈αairline␈αor␈αtheater␈αtickets␈αcan␈αbe␈αdetermined␈αand␈αtickets␈αordered␈αwhen
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the right data bases become electronically accessible.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_3.␈α∂If␈α∂I␈α∂receive␈α∂bills␈α∂directly␈α∂into␈α∂my␈α∂home␈α∂computer␈α∂and␈α∂can␈α∂pay␈α∂them␈α∂by␈α⊂initiating␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓funds transfer on my home computer, then a bookkeeping system is worthwhile.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_4.␈α∞The␈α∞ability␈α∂to␈α∞send␈α∞messages␈α∞to␈α∂users␈α∞of␈α∞other␈α∞home␈α∂computers␈α∞will␈α∞give␈α∂everyone␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓facilities now available to users of the ARPA network.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_5.␈α∂For␈α∂the␈α∂last␈α⊂five␈α∂years,␈α∂we␈α∂have␈α∂had␈α⊂a␈α∂program␈α∂at␈α∂the␈α∂Stanford␈α⊂University␈α∂Artificial
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Intelligence␈αLaboratory␈αthat␈αallows␈αa␈αperson␈αto␈αfind␈αstories␈αthat␈αhave␈αappeared␈αin␈α
the␈αAssociated
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Press␈α≤and␈α≤New␈α≤York␈α≤Times␈α≤wire␈α≤services␈α≤in␈α≤the␈α≤last␈α≤two␈α≤weeks.␈α≤ The␈α≥user␈α≤types
␈↓ ↓H␈↓"carter*(israel+egypt)"␈α
to␈α
get␈α
the␈αstories␈α
that␈α
have␈α
contained␈α
the␈αword␈α
"Carter"␈α
and␈α
either␈α
of␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓words␈α
"Israel"␈α
or␈α∞"Egypt".␈α
 This␈α
program␈α∞was␈α
easy␈α
to␈α
provide,␈α∞because␈α
the␈α
wire␈α∞services␈α
already
␈↓ ↓H␈↓distribute the news electronically as streams of characters.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_This␈α∨abstract␈α≡is␈α∨on␈α≡file␈α∨at␈α≡the␈α∨Stanford␈α≡Artificial␈α∨Intelligence␈α∨Laboratory␈α≡as
␈↓ ↓H␈↓PERSON[W78,JMC].␈α It␈αcan␈αbe␈αaccessed␈αfrom␈αanywhere␈αin␈αthe␈αworld␈αby␈α30␈αcharacter␈αper␈αsecond
␈↓ ↓H␈↓terminal or over the ARPA net.  I can update it at any time.