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\F3\CSTANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
\F4COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT\←L\-R\/'7;\+R\→.\→S   Telephone:
\←S\→.415-497-4971
\F1\CMay 22,1975







Dear Bill:

\JCan you believe it? Here finally is a copy of my LISP manuscript,
San Jose State version. One of the students ripped-off a high school
reproduction department and got me 10 extra copies. It was done a section
at a time and thus took this long to complete. Now of course that it's
complete I'll begin revisions. The revisions are to be massive, but when
finished should be ready for McGraw-Hill. SJU course turned out to be
more winning than I'd really expected. Most students weren't bad--few
turkies, of course. The real difficulty is the program is the typical
CACM68 krok, compounded by being "interdisciplinary" I.e. everyone
from systems programmers to librarians and business DPers. I stuck it
to all of 'em and generally made  myself a nuisance (it's SO MUCH fun!!).

And speaking of being a nuisance, I finally had it out with Luckham and
we are "divorced". I have this grand scheme to revise computer science
curricula, as you know; part of the scheme is abstract algorithms and data
structures and part is the construction of a programming lab. Neither
project seemed to enthrall D.C.L., and being coolie-coder was getting to
be a pain in the ass. 

I've been evolving a view of programming and  language implementation
as I have been writing this book, so its only nominally on LISP
in the next version, but much more abstract. One reviewer said
its like an anatomy course where the cadaver 
(cadadr?!?,eeeech [my pun, not his]) happens
to be LISP. Reviews have been very good and will get better. I most
certainly acknowledge the benefits of teaching it at UCSC. Indeed
what was most beneficial was to have to present it is such a short
time; I really had to think about what was important and what was
not. I shudder to think about how I presented it there, even last
year, as compared to how I did it at SJU. 
The programming lab
is a direct extension of the way I've developed the book; basically
"what would a clever person, learning the material, want to have
available to test his burgeoning cleverness?" Certainly not
keypunches, teletypes, or in fact I claim, not even the ever
popular favorite INTERLISP.
They are all manifestations of the old card-image coder attitude.

Which brings me to one of the point of this diatribe. I'm seriously considering
two major alternatives now (1)empire building: I would dearly love to
go after Computer Science curricula (particularly undergraduate) and give
it a complete revision. I think the field has evolved finally to a stage
where it is really possible to begin thinking of a School of Computation
(I ran in to your paper --Toronto, Rel. Soft.). I've been thinking about such
a scheme for many years, first in the guise of a commercial venture and
later as a department.  Until recently I felt that there really wasn't
enough substance to justify such a program, but have changed my mind
in the last few years (particularly after seeing what is being passed off
as Computer Science). (2) The other major mind-boggler is go after
education-oriented research-- surely a ripe area, full of crap and
incompetence! 
I have a proposal into NSF  to begin construction of a "programming environment"
for the construction (indeed discovery) of correct abstract data structure
algorithms. 
NSF has made nice noises, informally, but I won't know  for sure for a while
yet.
(If you'd like I could send you a copy of "The Grand Scheme".) Now to the difficulties:

Even if NSF does come through, it won't be for about six months; and I will be
leaving here this summer. Officially June 1; unofficially, when the manuscript
is finished. So I was wondering if you had any openings --part-time, or full-time--
teaching and/or research (there're a couple good theses in the proposal).
I would just as soon not have to drop my research and go to industry, but
I have this habit called eating ... .

So, if you have any suggestions which could keep me out of the bread lines
and keep my poor family from begging barefoot in the streets, I'd be
interested.
\.

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Yours sincerely,



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