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00400	C00002 00002	Progress of Computer Science Department Facility Development Plans
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00100	Progress of Computer Science Department Facility Development Plans
00200	December 13, 1977
00300	
00400	A concerted effort is being made to improve the general state of CSD
00500	computing by (1) making more general purpose computing available; (2)
00600	improving access to computing with better terminals and communications;
00700	and (3) creating special purpose facilities as necessary.  Here is a
00800	rundown of the current status of several facility items.
00900	
01000	
01100	1.  DEPARTMENT COMPUTER.  The department in conjunction with DSL and the
01200	Integrated Circuit's Lab of EE submitted a proposal to NSF for $150,000
01300	toward getting a DEC System 20/40 plus some color displays and a color
01400	plotter.  The grant will be judged by May or June.  To fund a
01500	configuration of the size requested, we will need at least another
01600	$300,000.  We expect some funding from EE.  We will approach foundations
01700	for the rest.  
01800	
01900	2.  AI LAB S1.  Livermore Labs has funded the development of the S1, a
02000	powerful multiprocessor designed by Stanford students Curt Widdoes and Tom
02100	McWilliams.  The AI Lab has proposed to Livermore to write an S1 operating
02200	system.  If the proposal is approved, one S1 processor with memory will go
02300	to the AI project on extended loan.  The proposal will be judged within
02400	weeks.  If approved, it would mean a commitment of Lab personnel to the
02500	project but little extra equipment cost.  A usable system would be several
02600	years away.  It is not known how access would be alloted.
02700	
02800	3.  SYSTEMS LABORATORY.  The department and DSL have asked Hewlett-
02900	Packard for six of its new Amigo personal computers plus peripherals.
03000	These should be configured in a small network, as a "systems laboratory"
03100	for distributed computing research and advanced systems course projects.
03200	There is a possibility of joint development with Hewlett-Packard of Amigo
03300	software, such as a multi-user operating system or a one-user Lisp.  A
03400	decision on complete or partial funding is expected in a couple of months.
03500	
03600	4.  TERMINAL SYSTEM ON CAMPUS.  Ted Panofsky at the AI Lab has worked on
03700	the design of a new terminal system for the Lab.  Very little has been
03800	done to extend this or come up with an alternative for a department-wide
03900	terminal system.  Jeff Barth has tentatively explored a microprocessor
04000	based system from Zilog as the foundation of a smart terminal, and a
04100	cheaper but equivalent replacement for Datamedias has been discussed but
04200	not acted upon.  No funding souces have been identified.
04300	
04400	5.  DEPARTMENT NETWORK.  A network to link major existing department
04500	computers and a future terminal system has been discussed, but we are far
04600	from design work.  Some commercial and university alternatives, such as
04700	the MIT network. should be evaluated for possible adaptation to our
04800	situation.  No funding sources have been identified.
04900	
05000	6.  OTHER FACILITIES.  Talks with Xerox are stalled awaiting a Xerox
05100	corporate policy on making equipment available to unversities.  We are
05200	interested in Altos and successor personal computers, network equipment,
05300	and advanced xerographic printers.  Professor Knuth is evaluating computer
05400	controlled typesetters for possible use with his new document language.
05500	IMSSS is also investigating book preparation aided by computers.  No other
05600	equipment or software projects are currently planned.