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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
&June 8, 1977 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dr. R. C. Prim
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Bell Telephone Laboratories MH 2C560
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Bob:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Here␈α
is␈αa␈α
writeup␈αof␈α
the␈αpresent␈α
state␈α
of␈αthe␈α
␈↓↓Dialnet␈↓␈αproject.␈α
 Nothing␈αin␈α
it␈α
is␈αproprietary,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓since it is supported by the U.S.  government.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈α∪I␈α∪said␈α∪on␈α∀the␈α∪phone,␈α∪I␈α∪am␈α∪hoping␈α∀that␈α∪Bell␈α∪Telephone␈α∪Laboratories␈α∪will␈α∀≡nd␈α∪it
␈↓ ↓H␈↓interesting␈α⊂and␈α∂worthwhile␈α⊂to␈α∂collaborate␈α⊂with␈α∂us.␈α⊂ The␈α∂speci≡c␈α⊂areas␈α∂I␈α⊂have␈α∂in␈α⊂mind␈α⊂are␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓following:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈α∂You␈α∂may␈α∂want␈α⊂to␈α∂make␈α∂an␈α∂experimental␈α⊂implementation␈α∂on␈α∂one␈α∂of␈α⊂your␈α∂time-sharing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓systems.␈α Some␈αmonths␈αago,␈αbefore␈αNSF␈αdecided␈αto␈αsupport␈αour␈αproject,␈αI␈αdiscussed␈αthis␈α
possibility
␈↓ ↓H␈↓with Elliot Pinson, and he said there might be interest.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈α⊂There␈α∂is␈α⊂every␈α∂indication␈α⊂that␈α∂the␈α⊂␈↓↓Dialnet␈↓␈α∂idea␈α⊂will␈α∂be␈α⊂very␈α∂popular,␈α⊂and␈α⊂that␈α∂many
␈↓ ↓H␈↓hundreds␈α
of␈α
computer␈α
systems␈α
will␈α
implement␈α
the␈α
protocols␈α
within␈α
a␈α
few␈α
years␈α
of␈α
their␈α
publication.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓It␈α
will␈α∞be␈α
necessary␈α∞to␈α
decide␈α∞on␈α
standards␈α∞for␈α
the␈α
modems␈α∞used,␈α
and␈α∞it␈α
is␈α∞important␈α
to␈α∞do␈α
this
␈↓ ↓H␈↓correctly␈α∪to␈α∀achieve␈α∪low␈α∀cost,␈α∪reliability,␈α∀good␈α∪performance,␈α∀expandability␈α∪of␈α∀capability,␈α∪and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓compatibility␈α
with␈α
the␈α
telephone␈αsystem.␈α
 Or␈α
idea␈α
is␈αthat␈α
a␈α
micro-processor␈α
based␈α
modem␈αshould
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be␈αfound␈αor␈α
designed␈αthat␈αcould␈αadapt␈α
to␈αthe␈αtelephone␈α
line␈αit␈αreceived␈αand,␈α
to␈αsome␈αextent,␈αto␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓modem␈α
at␈α
the␈α
other␈α
end.␈α
 In␈α
particular␈α
we␈α
would␈α
like␈α
to␈α
retain␈α
compatibility␈α
with␈α
the␈α
300␈αbaud
␈↓ ↓H␈↓modems in common use.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈α
seems␈α
to␈α
me␈α
that␈α
it␈α
is␈α
in␈α
the␈αinterest␈α
of␈α
AT&T.␈α
to␈α
take␈α
a␈α
benevolent␈α
attitude␈α
to␈α␈↓↓Dialnet␈↓.␈α
 It
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α∩part␈α⊃of␈α∩our␈α⊃basic␈α∩idea␈α⊃that␈α∩the␈α⊃present␈α∩telephone␈α⊃network,␈α∩although␈α⊃it␈α∩was␈α∩designed␈α⊃and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓optimized␈α⊃for␈α⊂voice,␈α⊃is␈α⊂suitable␈α⊃and␈α⊂cost-e≥ective␈α⊃for␈α⊂interpersonal␈α⊃messages␈α⊂and␈α⊃for␈α⊃most␈α⊂≡le
␈↓ ↓H␈↓transfer␈α→even␈α→though␈α→it␈α→is␈α→too␈α→expensive␈α→for␈α→cross-country␈α→remote␈α→login.␈α→ The␈α_decisive
␈↓ ↓H␈↓consideration␈α∂for␈α∂us␈α∂is␈α∂that␈α∂the␈α∂these␈α∂service␈α∂are␈α∂available␈α∂now.␈α∂ For␈α∂these␈α∂reasons,␈α∂we␈α∞oppose
␈↓ ↓H␈↓creating␈α
an␈α
electronic␈α
mail␈α
monopoly,␈α
whether␈αgovernment,␈α
AT&T␈α
or␈α
other,␈α
or␈α
even␈αa␈α
government
␈↓ ↓H␈↓regulated␈α
competition␈α
with␈α
rates␈α
and␈α
services␈α
prescribed␈α
by␈α
the␈α
FCC.␈α
 Since␈α
in␈α
the␈α
political␈α
climate
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈α
is␈α∞likely␈α
to␈α∞prevail␈α
in␈α
the␈α∞forseeable␈α
future,␈α∞any␈α
new␈α
monopoly␈α∞is␈α
unlikely␈α∞to␈α
go␈α∞to␈α
AT&T,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓AT&T␈α⊂should␈α⊃favor␈α⊂our␈α⊃view␈α⊂that␈α⊃electronic␈α⊂mail␈α⊂is␈α⊃a␈α⊂product,␈α⊃not␈α⊂a␈α⊃utility.␈α⊂ I␈α⊃believe␈α⊂that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓business,␈α↔science␈α↔and␈α_individual␈α↔users␈α↔are␈α_best␈α↔served␈α↔by␈α_a␈α↔variety␈α↔of␈α_combinations␈α↔of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computation,␈α∂communication,␈α∂and␈α∂data-base␈α∂services␈α∂and␈α∂that␈α∂any␈α∂attempt␈α∂to␈α∂regulate␈α∂who␈α∂can
␈↓ ↓H␈↓o≥er␈α
what␈α
services␈α
is␈α
likely␈αto␈α
result␈α
in␈α
a␈α
situation␈α
in␈αwhich␈α
no-one␈α
is␈α
allowed␈α
or␈α
motivated␈αto␈α
o≥er
␈↓ ↓H␈↓many␈α∞services␈α∂that␈α∞will␈α∂bene≡t␈α∞the␈α∞public.␈α∂ I␈α∞enclose␈α∂a␈α∞paper␈α∞on␈α∂home␈α∞computer␈α∂terminals␈α∞that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓elaborates some of these points.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αdon't␈α
know␈αwhether␈α
these␈αweighty␈α
matters␈αare␈α
relevant␈αto␈α
the␈αco-operation␈α
proposed␈αin␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓≡rst part of this letter, but I hope you will ≡nd these views interesting in any case.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αDr. R. C. Prim␈↓ ¬yJune 8, 1977␈↓ 
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␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science