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␈¬↓␈¬α␈¬β␈¬∧␈↓ ↓H
␈¬↓␈↓ εεSept 28,1979␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
Dr. John  N. Buxton␈↓ ↓H
Science Applications, Inc.␈↓ ↓H
1911 North Ft. Myer Dr. ␈↓ ↓H
Suite 1200 (Behind Janitor's Door)␈↓ ↓H
Arlington, VA 22209␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
Dear John:␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓HThank␈α⊃you␈α⊃for␈α⊃your␈α⊃letter.␈α⊃I'm␈α⊃sorry␈α⊃we␈α⊂didn't␈α⊂get␈α⊂to␈α⊂chat,␈α⊂but␈α⊂by␈α⊂mid-week␈α⊂I␈α⊂was␈α⊂sufficiently␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hdepressed␈α
about␈α
the␈α
characteristics␈α
of␈α
computer␈α
science␈α
which␈α
were␈α
being␈αespoused␈αat␈αthat␈αmeeting␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hthat␈α∂I␈α∂had␈α∂seriously␈α∂considered␈α∂getting␈α∂out␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∞field.␈α∞I␈α∞had␈α∞spend␈α∞the␈α∞last␈α∞five␈α∞years␈α∞trying␈α∞to␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hconvince␈αindustry-types␈α
that␈α
card␈α
decks␈α
and␈α
teletypes␈α
are␈α
not␈α
appropriate␈α
vehicles␈α
for␈α
communicating␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hwith␈α∂computers;␈α∂but␈α∂at␈α∂Santa␈α∂Cruz␈α∂I␈α∂heard␈α∂our␈α∞illustrious␈α∞leaders␈α∞preaching␈α∞to␈α∞similar␈α∞industrial␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Htypes␈α
that␈α
interactive␈α
techniques␈α
are␈α
toys␈α
which␈α
at␈α
least␈α
rot␈α
the␈α
mind,␈α
if␈α
not␈α
cause␈α
cancer.␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓HPerhaps␈α∞my␈α∞contacts␈α∞outside␈α
the␈α
AI␈α
Lab␈α
have␈α
been␈α
atypical,␈α
but␈α
I␈α
have␈α
found␈α
that␈α
the␈α
industrial␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hperception␈α
of␈α
the␈α
importance␈α
of␈α
software␈αtools␈αis␈αretarded␈αto␈αsay␈αthe␈αleast.␈αThey␈αsee␈αnothing␈αwrong␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hwith␈α
glass␈α
teletypes,␈α
batch␈α
systems,␈α
compiler-based␈α
languages␈α
and␈αthe␈αresulting␈α"hexoctaldump"␈αand␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H"print-lineso-and-so"␈α∂view␈α∂of␈α∂debugging.␈α∂It␈α∂seemed␈α∂a␈α∂great␈α∂disservice␈α∞not␈α∞to␈α∞address␈α∞that␈α∞problem␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hdirectly;␈αperhaps␈αthat's␈α"Programming␈αTechnology"␈αand␈αnot␈α"Programming␈α
Methodology".␈α
Whatever␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hit␈α∞is,␈α∞it␈α
involves␈α
lessons␈α
which␈α
have␈α
not␈α
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learned␈α
by␈α
a␈α
large␈α
majority␈α
of␈α
the␈α
programming␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hcommunity.␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓HOne␈αof␈αthe␈αreasons␈α
for␈α
my␈α
BYTE␈α
editorial␈α
and␈α
the␈α
August␈α
special␈α
on␈α
LISP␈α
was␈α
a␈α
growing␈α
suspicion␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hthat␈αtraditional␈α
paths␈α
of␈α
computer␈α
enlightment␈α
were␈α
not␈α
performing␈α
this␈α
"technological"␈α
role.␈α
Outside␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hof␈α∂a␈α∂few␈α∂research␈α∂facilities,␈α∂computing␈α∞practice␈α∞is␈α∞dreadful.␈α∞It's␈α∞partly␈α∞an␈α∞economic␈α∞problem,␈α∞since␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hsome␈α⊃of␈α⊂the␈α⊂"ingredients"␈α⊂have␈α⊂been␈α⊂quite␈α⊂expensive␈α⊂until␈α⊂very␈α⊂recently;␈α⊂but,␈α⊂alas,␈α⊂much␈α⊂of␈α⊂the␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hdifficulty␈α⊂is␈α⊂intellectual:␈α⊂people␈α⊂don't␈α⊂realize␈α⊂what␈α⊂␈¬αcan␈¬↓␈α⊂be␈α⊂done.␈α⊂This␈α⊂is␈α⊂abundantly␈α⊂clear␈α∂in␈α∂the␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hdesign␈αof␈αsystems␈αfor␈αmicroprocessors␈αas␈αwell␈αas␈αmain-frames;␈αthe␈αlimiting␈αfactor␈αisn't␈αthe␈αhardware,␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hit's␈α
the␈α
software.␈↓ ↓H
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␈↓ ↓HIt␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αwhat's␈αneeded␈αis␈αa␈α"professional␈αschool"␈αwhose␈αjob␈αis␈αto␈αboth␈αeducate␈αand␈αtrain␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hpracticing␈α
computer␈α
scientists;␈α
that's␈α
not␈α
about␈α
to␈α
happen.␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓HSooo...␈α∀it␈α∀seemed␈α∀to␈α∀me␈α∀that␈α∀the␈α∀personal␈α∪computer␈α∪afficionado␈α∪was␈α∪an␈α∪attractive␈α∪alternative:␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hmotivated,␈α
and␈α
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with␈α
a␈α
machine␈α
whose␈α
characteristics␈α
are␈α
closer␈α
to␈α
the␈α
desired␈α
goal␈α
than␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ εW
␈↓ εW
Yours sincerely,␈↓ εW
␈↓ εW
␈↓ εW
␈↓ εW
John R. Allen␈↓ εW
18215 Bayview Dr.␈↓ εW
Los Gatos Ca, 95030␈↓ εW
␈↓ εW
␈↓ ↓H