␈↓␈↓¬S␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305


␈↓∧Telephone 415-497-4971␈↓ 
314 May 1974



␈↓Mr. Walter Luce
␈↓Digital Equipment Corporation
␈↓200 Forest Street
␈↓Marlborough, Mass. 01752

␈↓SUBJECT:␈α
Timesharing␈α
Monitor␈α
Development

␈↓REFERENCE:

␈↓1.␈α
 R.␈α
E.␈α
Gorin,␈α
R.␈α
P.␈α
Helliwell,␈α
J.␈α
B.␈α
Rubin,␈α
"Goals␈α
for␈α
Timesharing",␈α
Memo,␈α
22␈α
February␈α
1974.



␈↓Dear␈α
Walter:

␈↓This␈α
note␈α
follows␈α
our␈α
telephone␈α
conversation␈α
of␈α
13␈α
May.

␈↓As␈α∀you␈α∀know,␈α∪we␈α∀have␈α∀been␈α∀planning␈α∪for␈α∀some␈α∀time␈α∀to␈α∪acquire␈α∀or␈α∀develop␈α∀an␈α∪improved
␈↓timesharing␈α
system␈α
for␈α
use␈α
in␈α
our␈α
laboratory.␈α
 Discussions␈α
between␈α
Ralph␈α
Gorin␈α
and␈α
Je≥␈α
Rubin␈α
of
␈↓our␈αsta≥␈αand␈αmembers␈αof␈αyour␈αsta≥␈αover␈αthe␈αpast␈αsix␈αmonths␈αindicate␈αa␈αsubstantial␈αintersection␈αof
␈↓interests.

␈↓In␈αthe␈αpast,␈αour␈αgroup␈αhas␈αdeveloped␈αa␈αsequence␈αof␈αdisplay-oriented␈αtimesharing␈αsystems,␈αinitially
␈↓on␈α⊂a␈α∂PDP-1␈α⊂and␈α∂subsequently␈α⊂on␈α∂PDP-6␈α⊂and␈α∂PDP-10␈α⊂processors.␈α∂ The␈α⊂latter␈α⊂system␈α∂currently
␈↓operates␈α
with␈α
67␈α
display␈α
terminals␈α
of␈α
various␈α
types.

␈↓We␈αrecently␈αinherited␈αa␈αBBN␈αPager␈αand␈αhad␈αtentatively␈αplanned␈αto␈αmodify␈αthe␈αTENEX␈αmonitor,
␈↓but␈αfound␈αit␈αto␈α
have␈αa␈αshakier␈αfoundation␈α
than␈αwe␈αdesire.␈α There␈α
are␈αseveral␈αareas␈αthat␈αwe␈α
would
␈↓like␈αto␈αsee␈αimproved␈α[see␈αReference],␈αparticularly␈αadditions␈αto␈αthe␈α≡le␈αsystem␈αand␈αdisplay␈αservices.
␈↓We␈α
also␈α
look␈α
forward␈α
to␈α
exploiting␈α
advanced␈α
processor␈α
hardware.

␈↓Based␈α
on␈α
earlier␈α
discussions,␈α
we␈α
propose␈α
to␈α
augment␈α
your␈α
VIROS␈α
in␈α
the␈α
areas␈α
of␈αkeyboard␈α
service
␈↓and␈αdisplay␈αgeneration␈αand␈αmake␈αthe␈αresults␈αavailable␈αto␈αyou.␈α We␈αwould␈αlike␈αto␈αredesign␈αthe␈α≡le
␈↓system,␈αbut␈α
are␈αwilling␈α
to␈αlet␈αyour␈α
group␈αrun␈α
with␈αthat␈α
ball␈αif␈αyou␈α
head␈αin␈α
the␈αright␈αdirection.␈α
 We
␈↓also␈α
plan␈α
to␈α
add␈α
realtime␈α
service.

␈↓I␈αunderstand␈αthat␈αyou␈αwish␈αthe␈αcontents␈αof␈αVIROS␈αto␈αremain␈αcon≡dential␈αfor␈αsome␈αtime␈αand␈αare
␈↓worried␈αabout␈αour␈αability␈α
to␈αkeep␈αsecrets.␈α While␈α
it␈αis␈αnot␈αpossible␈α
to␈αabsolutely␈αpreclude␈αleakage,␈α
I
␈↓believe␈α
that␈α
the␈α
probability␈α
can␈α
be␈α
made␈α
acceptably␈α
low␈α
by␈α
taking␈α
the␈α
following␈α
steps.
␈↓␈↓αMr. Walter Luce, 14 May 1974␈↓ 
}Page 2


␈↓1.␈α
 All␈α
≡les␈α
connected␈α
with␈α
the␈α
project␈α
will␈α
be␈α
protected␈α
and␈α
kept␈α
in␈α
passworded␈α
≡le␈α
areas.

␈↓2.␈α∞ Each␈α∂of␈α∞the␈α∞four␈α∂or␈α∞so␈α∂individuals␈α∞working␈α∞on␈α∂the␈α∞project␈α∞(currently␈α∂expected␈α∞to␈α∂be␈α∞Ralph
␈↓␈↓ αλGorin,␈αJe≥␈αRubin,␈αBrian␈αHarvey,␈αand␈αProf.␈αForest␈αBaskett)␈αwill␈αsign␈αa␈αwritten␈αagreement␈αnot
␈↓␈↓ αλto␈α
disclose␈α
your␈α
≡les␈α
or␈α
their␈α
substance␈α
to␈α
others␈α
either␈α
within␈α
our␈α
laboratory␈α
or␈α
outside.

␈↓While␈α∂≡le␈α∂protection␈α∂does␈α∂not␈α∂absolutely␈α⊂guarantee␈α∂security,␈α∂quite␈α∂a␈α∂bit␈α∂of␈α∂inside␈α⊂knowledge␈α∂is
␈↓needed␈αto␈αget␈αaround␈αthe␈αlocks.␈α The␈αonly␈αindividuals␈αwho␈αare␈αlikely␈αto␈αbe␈αable␈αto␈αdo␈αit␈αare␈αa␈αfew
␈↓of␈α
the␈α∞people␈α
in␈α∞our␈α
laboratory␈α
who,␈α∞I␈α
think,␈α∞can␈α
be␈α
kept␈α∞under␈α
control.␈α∞ The␈α
resistance␈α∞of␈α
our
␈↓system␈α
to␈α
attack␈α
has␈α
been␈α
substantially␈α
improved␈α
in␈α
recent␈α
months␈α
in␈α
response␈α
to␈αtroublemakers␈α
on
␈↓the␈α
ARPAnet.

␈↓The␈α⊃proposed␈α⊃non-disclosure␈α⊃agreement␈α⊃would␈α⊃presumably␈α⊃cover␈α⊃only␈α⊃DEC␈α⊃software,␈α⊃not␈α⊃the
␈↓subsystems␈αdeveloped␈αhere.␈α In␈αparticular,␈αthere␈αshould␈αbe␈αfreedom␈αto␈αdiscuss␈αdisplay␈αservice␈αand
␈↓local␈α
device␈α
service␈α
features␈α
among␈α
our␈α
sta≥.

␈↓If␈α⊂the␈α⊃general␈α⊂approach␈α⊃outlined␈α⊂above␈α⊃appears␈α⊂plausible␈α⊃to␈α⊂you,␈α⊃I␈α⊂suggest␈α⊃that␈α⊂you␈α⊃pluck␈α⊂a
␈↓suitable␈αnon-disclosure␈αagreement␈αout␈αof␈αyour␈α≡les␈αand␈α
send␈αus␈αa␈αcopy.␈α If,␈αon␈αthe␈αother␈αhand,␈α
you
␈↓feel␈αthat␈αyou␈αcan't␈αcooperate,␈αplease␈αlet␈αus␈αknow␈αpromptly␈αso␈αthat␈αwe␈αcan␈αget␈αon␈αwith␈αan␈αalternate
␈↓plan.␈α
 I␈α
hope␈α
that␈α
we␈α
can␈α
work␈α
it␈α
out.


␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓Lester D. Earnest
␈↓Executive O≠cer




␈↓cc:␈α
Forest␈α
Baskett,␈α
Ralph␈α
Gorin,␈α
John␈α
McCarthy,␈α
Je≥␈α
Rubin,␈α
Fred␈α
Wilhelm␈α
(DEC)