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street[s87,jmc]		Stanford computer empire

To Campus Report:

	We hear that Stanford is about to create a new enlarged computer
empire containing both ITS and LOTS.  ITS has always been beyond hope,
but it's too bad about LOTS.  We remind the authorities that the original
reason for creating LOTS outside of ITS was that low overhead required
a different style of management and operation than was thought appropriate
for a general computer facility.

	There is a general tendency for American organizations to create
internal empires, and computers particularly excite this.

	Our objective in this letter is not to fight this application of
Parkinson's laws.  That's hopeless.  We merely want to advise advise our
fellow members of the Stanford community to stear clear of it if at all
possible and suggest how this may be done.  We also advise against setting
up other computer empires.

	The problem with computer empires is that they grow, because the