00100	User Interface for ROMP operating System
00200	
00300		These suggestions are made at the request of
00400	John Cocke.  Some of them are in no way innovative but
00500	need to be said, because they are contrary to IBM tradition.
00600	We are supposing the ROMP used as a single user computer,
00700	perhaps as a higher performance personal computer, but
00800	most of the considerations apply to time-shared operating
00900	systems as well.
01000	
01100	1. The operating system ideas presently being developed
01200	emphasize shared access to files and solving the problems
01300	associated with this.  That's fine, but they haven' given
01400	much attention to the command interface, and this is
01500	all-important for a personal computer.
01600	
01700	2. An important issue still undecided in their work
01800	is whether to assume half-duplex interaction.  In my view
01900	this would be a serious mistake.  It is important that
02000	a program should be able to declare any or all characters
02100	to be activation characters for the following reasons:
02200	
02300		a. To allow the designers of interactive programs,
02400	even those in a main machine, full freedom to design the
02500	form of the interaction.
02600	
02700	b. Many present languages and systems presume this freedom.
02800	Expensive and unsatisfactory adaptation are required to move
02900	such programs to machines that can't allow it.
03000	
03100	c. It is important to keep the system independent of any
03200	single terminal or style of terminal.  The ubiquitous
03300	"dumb terminals" still should be usable.
03400	
03500	
03600	3. Terminals should have bit-map displays.  Now that the
03700	bit map itself is trivial in cost, they are rapidly becoming
03800	standard.  Low resolution should be an option as long as
03900	the price of high resolution bit map displays remains high.
04000	
04100	4. In general the temptation to gold plate should be
04200	resisted.  This may not be so easy, because very
04300	expensive single user machines seem to be the current fad
04400	among computer scientists.
04500