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LABEL everything please, your name, address and the date; U.S. Subscriptions tapes should also include the program name, language and $S/yr. (6 issues) o VOL 8 N03 system. 0$15/2 yrs. (12 issues) NOV· DEC 1917 o Retaining subscription @$25 rs TYpE text if at all possible, double·spaced, on 8'h x 11 inch ($17 tax deductible) white paper. o Sustaining subscription @$100+ ($92+ tax deductible) STAFF CONTENTS DRAWINGS should be as clear and neat as possible in black ink on white paper. Foreign Surface Mail EDITOR PET NEWS & REVIEWS o add $4/yr. for Canada Phyllis Cole LISTINGS are hard to reproduce clearly, so please note: add $5/yr. elsewhere o ASSISTANT EDITOR 6 PET UPDATE • Use a new ribbon on plain white paper when making a Tom Williams listing; we prefer roll paper or fan-fold paper. Foreign AIRMAIL ART DIRECTOR Chuck Peddle of Commodore tells what is and isn't happening 7 PET vs TRS·80 • Send copies of one or more RUNs of your program, to o add S8/yr, for Canada Meredith Ittner verify that it runs and to provide a sense of how things o add $111yr. for Europe PRODUCTION Commodore's Peddle and Radio Shack's French comment work - and to motivate more of us to read the code. o add $14/yr. elsewhere Donna Lee Wood 8 OUR PET'S FIRST STEPS RUNs should illustrate the main purpose and operation of ARTISTS an evaluation which includes timing tables and a drawing program your program as clearly as possible. Bells, whistles and Back issues, $1 each; indicate Volume and Maria Kent special features should just be described in the documen· Issue number, how many copies of each. An Ann Miya COMPUTERS FOR PEOPLE tation unless they're particularly relevant. order card is at the center of the magazine. judith Wasserman • Paper tapes of both the program and runs can provide us Vol. " No.3 TYPISTS 26 THERE AIN'T NO USER SCIENCE with a way to make our own listing if we need to. Then, if Vol. 3, No.1 Maria Kent a tongue·in-cheek discussion of interactive systems by Jacques Vallee you give us permission, we can let CCC (Community Com· Vol. 4, Nos. 3, 4, 5,6 Barbara Rymsza 34 IF 'SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL',S MICRO MARVELOUS? puter Center) sell your program cheaply via paper tape, to Vol. 5, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Renny Wiggins Andrew Clement looks at micro·computing as if people mattered further the spread of inexpensive software. Finally, if we Vol. 6, No.1 BOOKSTORE 45 810FEEOBACKANDMICROCOMPUTERS PART II are so lucky as to have aocess to a system on which your Dan Rosset Tim Scully discusses using micros to explore 'inner space program runs, we can try it out ourselves. PROMOTION • Make sure your code is well documented .- use a separate Foreign Distributors of People's Computers Dwight McCabe ARTICLES sheet of paper. Refer to portions of code by line number or Andrea Nasher label or address please, not by page number. When writing Vincent Coen Home Computer Club CIRCULATION 16 TINY LANGUAGES STRIKE AGAIN documentation, keep in mind that readers will include LP Enterprises 1070-57 Yamaguchi 8i11 Bruneau beginners and people who may be relatively inexperienced 313 Kingston Road T okorozawa, Saitama, JAPAN DRAGON EMERITUS Bob Albrecht and Dennis Allison continue designing a language for kids with the language you're using. Helpful documentation/ liford, IG 1 1PJ Bob Albrecht 21 Z-BO PILOT annotation can make your code useful to more people. Essex, UK Kougakusha Publ. Col, Ltd what it is and how to get it Documentation should discuss just which cases are covered Haneda Biru 403, 5-1 RETAINING SUBSCRIBERS 25 COMPUTER AS ART CRITIC and which aren't. Comicro AG 2·Chome, Yoyogi Jim Day considers scientific analysis of art David R. Dick • If you send us a program to publish, we reserve the right to Baderstrasse 281 Shibuya·Ku, Tokyo 151 48 SURVIVOR annotate it (don't worry, we won't publish it if we don't CH-8003 Zurich JAPAN John B. Fried Mac Oglesby's 2·person game is based on 'Ufe' like it). SWITZERLAND Scott Guthery, Computer Recreations • Last but not least, please try to limit the width of your Computer Age Company, Ltd W. A. Kelley 52 TEACHING MATH WITH OZ GRAPHICS listings: 50-60 characten is ideal. Narrow widths mean less Pan Atlantic Computer Sys. Kasumigaseki Building John C. Lilly Harvey Cohen and David Green teach kids using computer graphics Frank Otsuka reduction, better readability, and better use of space. Frankfurter Stras$! 78 3-2·5 Kasumigaseki 58 THE GREAT SAN ANDREAS FAULT CAPER COMES TO A CLOSEI Bernice Pantell D61 Darmstadt, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 100 S~eve Witham takes on California's infamous earthquake fault Larry Press LETTERS are always welcome; we assume its OK to publish WEST GERMANY JAPAN them unless you ask us not to. Upon request we will withhold REGULAR STUFF your name from a published letter, but we will not publish ASCII Publishing SUSTAINING SUBSCRIBERS correspondence sent to us anonymously. We reserve the right 305 HI TORIO 4 LETTERS to edit letters for purposes of clarity and brevity. 5-6-7 Minami Aoyama Algorithmics Inc, Bruce Cichowlas' questions, answers, comments, programs, and more Minato-Ku, Tokyo 107 Don L. 8ehm 11 THE DATA HANDLER USER'S MANUAL Part 6 JAPAN William Berch, Computer House, Inc more from Don Inman on programming the 6502 BYTE Publications, Carl Helmers, Virginia Peschke, Manfred Peschke 22 PILOT CAl Paul, Lori and Tom Calhoun more English composition CAl programs from Ellen Nold and Salll, Cannom Peopls's ComputsfS is published bimonthly by People's ComputerCompany, 1263 EI Camino Real, Box E, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Bill Godbout Electronics 32 FORTRAN MAN People's Computer Company is a tax-exempt, independent, non-profit corporation, and donations are tax-deductible. Dick Heiser, The Computer Store further adventures of Lee Schneider's and Todd Voros' swashbuckling hero Second class pOltage paid at Menlo Park, California, and additional entry points. 42 REVIEWS Copyright © 1977 by People's Computer Company, Menlo Park, California. a quintet of reviews from various folk 59 ANNOUNCEMENTS 2 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC 3 illfomlation 011 SMALLTALK becomes excellent articles you printed on robot Finally, something for myself: The available we'll keep you posted; for pets. With pet robots and a bit more only computer I have access to runs only starters, see Dellllis Allison's comments positive mass media image, such as that FOCAL. Do you have any software in all SltfALLTALK alld other lallguagesoll presented by C3PO and R202 in Star FOCAL? Also, can you send me some LETTERS pages 18 - 21. And dOIl't miss Han'ey Wars, the public may yet overcome its info on your publications? Cohell5 article (pages 52 - 58) on how he fears of these devices. Not since the uses a graphics-criellfed lallguage 10 teach great Robby the Robot in Forbidden Sincerely, math to kids. Planet has more been done to show the Joe Boyle the border between 2 quadn!lnU instead of positive constuctive values of what will 1013 Lake Forest Dr Hey, PCC People! Several people have mentioned kids' seeing only the one you're in you $81 part.of soon become man's greatest servants. Oaremont, CA 91711 computer books IIOt included ;11 Betsy the one you're in end part of thl! one beSide Once again, keep up the good work! I understand your fervor to upgrade the Rosell'S article - we'd love to have you. Dear Ph yllis, We'll see what we can do - meanwhile rel'iews of them. How about sellding in journal, but please don't outgrow me and Plus anything else anyone can think of. Frank Stodolka, Treasurer readers from the Los Angeles area might the other True Beginners in computing. a paragraph or two describing them? Not Congratulations on your new format! ATRA, Inc. want 10 call Jim Lodd. just you jane. but Bob Kahn and al/ you There are plenty of slick, sophisticated Tat's all four nouw. One problem I am having with old issues Box 456 others out there! of the PeC newspaper is that slowly but Minneapolis, MN 55440 publications for people who really under SINcereiee, stand computers; I know, because my Douglas "Oit-Oit" Philips surely it promoted disintegration of my husband gets scads of them. But, I copies. This was sometimes accelera ted Gentlebeings: subscribe to you (twice - at home and McCombs Rd RO#2 ~ by the rough handling the U.S. Post Thanks muchly for your kind words. Dear People's Computers (or whatever Box 329 ~ You'll be plemed to kllOw that we at school), and I fervently hope you Vene tia , PA 15367 ~ Awful gave them. Yet I still try to Are you still interested in a cheep com won't become incomprehensible to me you call yourselves), preserve them for reference purposes. expect to see more robots paradillg puter? My idea is based around a single like all the others. The new format will help muchly. across ollr pages ill the near furure. chip micro. The range is quite restricted, I liked the gante of EXAGON in the May P.So may your compewter never byte U. P.SS U can print this lether. (PLEASE) as only the FBII and the 66XX offer 2K Also, I hope you continue publishing June issue and hope you will continue to As a maner of fact, I was researching on ROMs, though perhaps the 6801 and Z8 articles on computers in the schools and print sluff like that in forth-coming possible sources of money to finance an will too. ROM space is cheap and a good issues. If I h3d access to a computer (not Another Star Trek? Whew! Pleose do tales of other interactions between kids educational film about home computers Dcar People's Computers, language needs all it can get. If they let till school starts) I would submit stuff submit programs, articles, whatever - and computers. No other computer see the guidelines on our in side cover. when I came across an old leiter of mine you play with the microcode, that's even magazine, so far as I know, has the kinds myself. Anyway, the reason I'm writing, that was printed in Vol. 5, No.2, pg 33. I'm a high school computer freak writing better, though you will need a global of articles you used to have to encourage could someone design and program a Then it occurred to me: your latest from the Los Angeles area and I listen to optimizing simulator (program) to make and guide not-very-knowledgeable adults Star Trek with the foUowing features: issue with its new fonnat and the radio station KMET. Every weekday a useful gain. RAM would be 4K dynamo I. optional two or three dimensions. in leading youngsters to computers. You I am inlerested in Computer Assisted announcement about California's em night, OJ Jim Ladd is on. The DJs at ic, operated jointly by the processor, 2. multiship control option. made me dependent upon Joanne Education, especially the PLATO and brionic Personal Computer Network KM ET give a lot of their opinions on the keyboard, and screen. The keyboard Verplank and now you appear to have 3. Illuititenltinai ability option. almost seemed to be an indirect response air which is generally a good thing but would be a calculator type (Chomerics 4. human control of enemy sh ips Multitutor systems which both use the exorcised her! (At least tell me how to Computer language TUTOR. I would to that letter! Coincidence? Even if it sometimes they don't ha ve all the facts. prices at i¢/key) hardware with ASCII get in touch with her, please.) and/or aliens tha t have a goal and were, it demonstrates that People's Com This is unfortunate, since they influence a layout. The screen would be built in don't just run into each other. also like to learn about other languages which would be suitable for CAl such as puters does a remarkably good job of lot of public opinion. Anyway, Jim (9" tubes are cheapest). A UART tape I appreciated Betsy Rosen's bibliography 5. communication between terminals. keeping in touch with the people. Ladd. although he's pretty cool other port completes the sel. 6. set size and number of 2 or 3 SMALLTALK and PILOT . I would like of computer books for children (Vol 6, to correspond with others who are inter wise, doesn't like computers. He has No 1), but was surprised she omitted Don dimensional quadrants. By the way, you might be interested in about the same opinion on computers as It could be quite powerful; an Almost 7. save (Illd restoring capabilities. ested in this area. Spencer's numerous paperbacks (Camelot knowing that the Personal Computer a lot of people: as gigantic, impersonal Pocket-Sized-Computilator. Fully pro· and the following list of commands: Press). TIley are relatively inexpensive, I also enjoy computer games and believe Network was not the only innovative machines that mainly screw up whatever grammable, I hope it sells for under very easy to rcad, and my school kids 1. WARP CHANGE they do with disastrous results. He says, $300. With the built-in keyboard, 2. SHORT SCAN- that they have an important p13ce in CAl. spin-off from the First West Coast like them. 3. LONG SCAN On top of being educational, they are fun Computer Faire. The Faire was a cat "I don't mind computers when they're consider an expanded 256-character set, 4. ENERGY BEAMS and re laxing to play. I have approximate alyst which led to the incorporation of used for medical research and things like including characters that enter as one Don't desert the kids and us overgrown 5. PROTON TORPEDOES ly 400 games which are stored on a 2400 ATRA and our lirst commercial venture: that, but. .." and goes on to complain and echo as a string (for, let, next, etc.) 6. TRACTOR/REPULSOR BEAMS novices! ft Star Jewels. Advanced Technology about loss of privacy, etc. and also special graphic characters. This 7. TRAVEL tape and on listings. I would enjoy B. STATUS REPORT trading programs with other people who Research Associates fonned as a group could shorten string-processing space a Jane McCrohan A 9. DAMAGE REPORT enjoy computer games. of computer hobbyists - a group that Wh enever he announces the number for lot (re: CAS UAL, DO) Nov/Dec 76). 102 Council Place 10. HIGH WARP CHANGE was different because we we re also active Commuter Computer, a carpool arranging Liverpool, N.Y. 13088 11. EMERGENCY WARP CHANGE I wish you good luck and success with science lict ion fans. For over two years service, he says, "Why not ask a friend or Hoping this finds you, ~ 12. Energy beams @target your PeC magazine. Long live the we brainstonned and researched as we someone on the street? I don't see why Andrew Hay. Esq. We won't desert you - as I see it, kids 13. Proton torpedoes@ target 14. tractor/repulser @I target dragon! explored the latest computer technology. you need the computer .. ." when it's 12 Holden Wood Rd. alld ol'ergrowll IIOvices are the biggest 15. SHORT RANGE TRACK We came upon the idea of selling Star obvious that without the computer you'd Concord, MA 01742 potelltial market around. School stllff is 16. GALACTtC UPDATE Jewels when we were trying to figure have to contact thousands of people to 17. COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER REBELS Sincerely yours, harder to conle by over the summer Bruce A. Carter out a way of financing a lrip to the Faire find a good match. Anyway, can you We sure are interested ill a cheep (I) months, but the drought is over - see l B. SAVE game computer, especially one designed to 19. RESTORE game 7786 South 300 We st for our group. The response of the send hint something on the benefit of Harvey Cohen 5 article 011 teaching matll 20. COMPUTER CONTROL: Union MlUs, IN 46382 people at the Faire was fantas tic! Now computers? As it is now, he's irritating allow beginners to do illteresting stuff using 02 graphics. And 171 be reportillg A. Drst. and 0 to aliens. we are planning to expand our sales so we to me and reinforcing lots of people's wilhout knowing much. Keep us posted all efforts to integrate computers illto B. autO-fTlOve, fire (M5) P.S. Science fiction type games are can finance the purchase of group--shared prejudices. I've already written to him, all YOllr progress! the day-to-day curricula of a local ele 21. OAMAGE CONTROL especially desired. Thanx. peripherals. but I think you would be more effective. mentary school. Joonne has not been 22. ENERGY ALLOTMENTS - on the short $Can it shouldn't be for just the exorcised. merely taking a breather, and We 7f colltillue 10 publish anic1es Qnd info Oh yes, I must not close this little missive Write to: Jim Ladd, KMET, 5746 W promises to have an article ready for us current quedrant but for an equal number of p;lr18CS around the ship so that if voo're near 011 pnOT, as we hQ~'e in the past. As without a compliment on those two Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. soon. NOV-DEC 5 4 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS When People's Computers' Editor Phyllis Cole asked:
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE TRS-80 VERSUS THE PET?
Commodore's Chuck Peddle replied: For people who like to put things togeth The software approaches are different on er, it's an advantage that the TRS-80 is a the two systems. The PET has built-in modular system - Commodore deliber. so~tware - such as its editor, extra gra ately chose to produce _an integrated phiCS, and full file system - to make the package. The TRS-80 keyboard is com system easy to use. The PET operating news and parable to a typewriter keyboard, which system doesn't depend on a floppy disk wasn't designed for doing control for expansion. The PET has more functions. The difficulty in doing con graph ics, and the graphics are more easily trol functions has been overcome by controll ed than those 011 the TRS-80. reviews adding special keys to control inputl output devices. Commodore has tried to match the multi-key functions avail Commodore and Radio Shack see the PET photo courtesy of Utter Chaos able on the more expensive intelligent market in two different ways. A potential PET Update______terminals so as to give more keys in the buyer needs to read the specifications of same space. We'l let the market decide a PET and try one out in order to decide which is better. whether the Significantly larger amount Ccmmodore's PET is a sel[-colltoilled, the first PETs to be delivered in the San vember the 8K PET is also likely to be of software available on the PET means /ac(ory..assembled unit that contaills Q Francisco area. Numerous rumors about available in stores. The fact that the TRS-80 RAM is expand something to him as a person. I feel that 6502 microcomputer, keyboard, CRT the PET have been circulating - here's able up to 16K inside the unit (although I the claims for the TRS·80 are misleading display (40 columns, 25 lines), 1000-baud what Chuck had to say as of October 10. Commodore hopes to deliver in January don't know whether such an addition relative to their ability to store and mani. tape cassette, and memory. For $595 you its first 200 printers with a price tag requires an additional power supply) may pulate data and files. I think that a user get 4K of user memory (or 8K for $795) Rumor 1: 90-day delivery committments around the cost of a 4K PET (1600). be seen as an advantage. Commodore should really evaluate his need for data plus the 14K needed by 1111 aK BASIC aren't being met. 'True': delivery of tJle (At a recent computer conference, a PET allows a 4K PET to be expanded to 8K. handling before buying any product in interpreter, Q 4K operating system, Q JK 8K units is running at about 100 days and was on display in the booth of Prac· The real issue will come in comparing the the computer field. It's not the number diagnostic routinc, and lK machine lan will probably do so through October. tical Automation, a printer manufacturer, memory extension boxes. of tapes that make good software. It's gUage mOlli/or. The PET's expanded 8K but no official annoullcement has been what can be put in a program and what BASIC conrains strings, integers and mul Rumor 2: Production of the 4K system made.) The first floppy disk Commodore A UL listing of the PET will be secured the program can do tltat has to be mea tiple dimension a"ays. It has high preci lias been cal/celled. 'False'; development will offer will COSt 'more than a 4K by Commodore as soon as full production sured. Sometimes multiple low-cost or sion (10 significant digits), flooting point of a 4K production line has been post system'. is reached, as per requirements of the free items indicate a problem and not an numbers, and direct memory access poned until the order b3cklog and pro Underwriter's laboratory. opportunity. through PEEK and POKE. duction line for the SK systems are in In mid-September, tJle American Stock Radio Shack's Don French replied: I think that they're totally different type beller sh3pc. Bottlenecks created by Exchange stopped trading Commodore nOI, which means that schools can buy The system weighs 44 pounds, is 16.5 parIS' shortages should be straightened slack, based on allegations by the systems. They have a 1795 8K system our system, and some schools may not illches wide, 18.5 illches deep alld 14 out by the latter part of October. Montreal Stock Exchange. Following an and our 16K system costs ollly $889 _ a be able to buy a PET. You must have a inches high - about the size 0/ Q portable investigation, the American Exchange 194 difference. They have a different TV but a somewhat more awkward shape UL listing to sell assembled electronic Rumor 3: 4K systems WQn't be in stores allowed a resumption of trading. Peddle BASIC from ours, and they have a non eqUipment in some areas, such as Los to handle. The 73·key calculator-slyle until early 1978. '!t's possible.' Indivi views Commodore as 'cleaner' than com standard keyboard. Our extended BASIC. Angeles, Sacramento, and Oregon. In part keyboard includes Q calculator-style duals who order 4K systems get priority panies that have not been investigated;he which will be available by the end of the we delayed in troduction of our system numeric keypad. 17te64ASCII characters over dealer orders; orders placed through notes that Commodore is taking steps year, will do more than their 14K total until we acquired Our full UL listing. UTe avai/able without using a shift key; Mr Calculator stores are merged by date relative to the Montreal EXchange. Peddle system does. It's basically because of the the shift key rrwkes 64 graphic alld of order WitJl mail orders placed directly says 'I think both the rumors and tJle differences in the l-SO and the 6502. The TRS·SO is a two-piece system. reverse field characters accessible from with Commodore. kind of action that occurred with respect The 6502 has a faster instruction set at Ours has a real keyboard all it, which the keyboard. The graphic characters to the Montreal Exchange are unfair. We the same clock speed, but the l-80 has means thaI with our system you don't can be used to play games, plot, or draw Rumor 4: The IEEE bus iJlterface does don't know where the unfairness is a more memory-cfficient instruction have t.o buy the video screen. Many pictures. As delivered, the keyboard not come as standard PET equipmertt. coming from - whether Commodore has set, wh_ich means that you can provide hobbYists have monitors already , and provides upper case, but POKE 59468,14 'False.' The IEEE interface is provided enemies or whether we've done some a more powerful processor in memory can use Our $399 system directly with will access lower case instead of 26 but the IEEE connector is not - they're thing that frightens people.' size, which means that you can provide their own monitors and cassette recorders. graphic clUlracters. expensive (about $50). Commodore will the same program in less memory with sell a connector cheaper than the IEEE Finally I asked Chuck why the SK PET the l-80 than you can in the 6502. It's As for advantages of the PET over the one. costs $200 more than the 4K version - just a trade-off in the type of system you TRS-80, there will be none as soon as 1200 is a lot of money for 4K of mem want to design. Commodore chose the we come out with our uvel II BASIC. Commodore has not yet announced ory. I got the 'official' answer, that the 6502 because it's made by a division of People owning a 4K system can replace In our last issue, we carried an interview which large retail store(s) will be carry larger system requires extensive testing their company; Tandy Radio Shack chose chips to update to Level II BASIC at a with Chuck Peddle, father of Commo· ing tlle PET. By Novembcr I Commodore and burning in, but I suspect the real the l-SO just because we thought it was cost of slightly over 1100. The PET does a more powerful unit. dare's PET computer. Here is an adden expects to have delivered a minimum of answer is that at this time people are will have the IEEE bus, jf you claSSify that as dum to that interview, based on a discus 750 8K systems, and to have cut delivery ing to pay $200 to gel double the mem an advantage, but there's a very limited sion with Chuck when I picked up one of time back to 30 - 60 days. By early No- ory. The TRS-80 is listed with the Under market for that type of bus structure. writer's Laboratory and the PET is 6 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·OEC 7 1
variety of 'low noise' audio cassette came in about 4th fastest out of the 30 tapes - differing brands, quality, and BASICs examined by Rugg and Feldman. prices - and had good luck with all TIMING TA BLES of them. Jumping for Joy. Was it worth getting an early system despite potential bugs and PET's Got Rhythm. With the aid of the limited documentation? Yes - otherwise PET's built-in timer, we timed most of we most likely would have had to delay BASIC STATEMENTS AND I/O the instructions on our unit. Based on implementing our school program until these results, it is a simple mailer to September 1978. BeSides, we're having IIPprox. rime Our PET's First Steps speed up the frequently executed por· great fun! And having a computer at constl1JCt (millisec} tions of programs. Some of our results BY PHYLLIS COLE . EDITOR home is a fine way to reduce - we're FRE 1 to 10 are printed in the timing table that too busy PETting to eat or sleep. So far PEEK, POKE 1 accompanies this article. We consider we have got running a PILOT interpreter, TI$ 3 to 4 the numbers to be reasonably accurate a number of PILOT programs, a tape me TO 1 since they predicted within i5?;. lhe utility, and a drawing program. The GET 1 to infinity benchmark program timings printed in drawing program (written by another POS 1 PRINT X or PRINT We have a PET or perhaps I should say a) nobody told us to remove the trans The on-screen editor that comes with 'BAS IC Timing Comparisons' by Tom member of our group) is presented below. 15 to 19 PRINT X$; 14+LEN(X$)f2 a PET has us - at any rate, the relation parent packing tape from the key the PET is the nicest one we've seen on a Rugg and Phil Feldman in the October There will be more PET software in small system. For those unfamiliar with 1977 Kilobaud. By the way, PET BASIC READ X and DATA 3 9 ship is pleasan tly symbiotic. The 'we' of tops - when it began to peel, we future issues of People's Computers. REM on-screen editors, here's a brief example: 0.2102 this article is not an editorial we, it refers feared plague had set in. RESTORE 0.3 suppose you type in a BASIC program, to members of a group of computer pro b) we did not understand certain fea TAB 2 run it, and get an error message which fessionals - including your editor - who tures and conventions of the system DRAWING PICTURES ON THE PET SPC(N) 1+0.6·N have purchased a PET as part of a project since minimal documentation ac indicates to you that you typed 'Y' where FOR 1- •••NEXT I 4.0+/1 .6 eachl aimed at integrating personal computers companied early systems. you meant to type 'X'. Assuming that STEP 1.3 into the daily routines in a local school. the text is still on the screen, you can The PET has a set of 64 graphic charac Instead, the digit keys I through 9 are IF 0.' You') be kept posted on our activities in Our Pet Goes to the Vet. The following move the cursor to the 'Y' then type 'X' ters, plus their 64 reverse video (black on used to make the target move one cell in GOTO or GOSUB 1.1 ON A GOTO or GOSU8 the pages of Peoplc's Computers. day we swapped PET 54 for PET 57: and press RETU RN: that line will be white) counterparts. It also has cursor any of eight directions. L •.. . ,L we've been up and running almost con· automatically recompiled. Now move the control keys. One might expect to be able , M 0.5+10.3·A) cursor to the word 'RUN' which you to draw a picture simply by running the +10.2·M) stantly since then. RETURN typed before, press RETURN, and the cursor around and pressing graphic keys. 0.9 Our group chose a Conunodore PET for Using colon, :, savel 0.6 over new line. program will be executed once again. Although possible, it is quite awkward in four reasons: It took about two days to get used to the 7 8 9 SAVE or LOAD practice, because the graphic characters I) At the time, it was the only an PET's calculator style keyboard, but get 15 sec + !2 sec per 100 Ch8d nounced system that the school used to it we did. We came to accept lhe Our PET Speaks. PET BASIC is Micro and some, but not all, of the cursor con 4 5 6 Le. 500 baud could afford. small size of the keys, the ir closeness, soft's latest, and is very similar to other trols require the shift key to be held 2) Its integrated package (display, key their arrangement, and the way contact microcomputer BASICs. Much available down. It is rather like try ing to thread a I 2 3 STRING FUNCTIONS board, and tape unit in a single with them must be made. In the short software should be easily converted for needle while running the laO-yard dash. cabinet) was easier for a child to lime that we've had lhe machine II has use on PETs. The BASIC seems to have If)prox. ritmJ (unction (millhtte) manage than separate components been extremely reliable. Three times in very few bugs, and the ones that do exist If you have tried to draw on a PET, you + char) our first 80 hours of use the processor are not encountered in simple programs. will appreciate the program below. It 0.5+(0.2 per would be. Pretend the target cell is on the '5' key. ASC For those of you who want to get a head makes it possible for a human being with 1 3) Its quality BAS IC featured strings, stopped - reputedly due to voltage To Illove it left, press '4'; to move it up CHR$ 1.2 arrays, floating point, graphics and drops in our power lines. This is the one start on learning it, I recommend Jerry one or more fingers to draw pictures for and riglll , press '9'; and SO on. LEFTS, RIGHTS 3+{O.025 per Ch8d linkage to machine language sub disadvantage of not having a front Brown's IlIStant BASlC ($6 from the entertainment. There is no provision for L EN o to 8 routines. panel - we had to power on and orf to PCC Bookstore) which deals with an saving the pictures on tape, although that Whenever the target moves, it will in· MIDS 4+10.025 per ch8d 4) It was manufactured locally - a restart, thus losing the program in almost identical dialect. could be added quite easily. scribe the drawing symbol in its new cell. STRS 71010 big help, since we knew we would memory. In a few minutes, you should get profi VAL 1.3 be receiving an early production Type the program, check it for errors and cient at ' drawing a picture with dots. -.O.C{ -.U- 3104 Dancing in the Dark. The temporary doc· model. Our PET Starts to RUN. The PET has a SAVE it on tape before attempting to umentation provided with earl y systems TIle specifica tions of the PET are given number of nice features - we've space to RUN it. An erroneous POKE could be The Drawing Symbol. When you are tired ARITHMETIC FUNCTIONS contains only a brief summary of in the introduction to ' PET Update' on mention just a few. You can get lower disastrous. of dots, press any graphic key on the left commands. By November I an spprox. tim6 page 6. case displayed (instead of26 ohhe graphic side of the keyboard. Shifting is not nec function (millisec} instruction tape should be avail able. We characters) by doing POKE 59468,14. The Target. The program treats the screen essary. The graphic character on the key ABS 0 .• have had to explore the system on our Most versions of BASIC will STOP if as a grid of ce ll s, 40 across and 25 down. will become the new drawing symbol. It ATN 42 own, with an occasional assist from Our PET Stumbles. On Monday, October you type just a carriage ret'-lrn for INPUT. When it starts, it blanks the screen and will be inscribed in the target ceU. COS 27 4, we picked up PET number 54. When This annoying behavior, particularly Commodore. displays a large round dot character (the EXP 27 we turned it on we found that lK of the irritating to kids, can be bypassed in 'drawing symbol,) in a cell near the Press RVS, and the color of the drawing INT 1.2 8K was taken up by 'tape buffers, the pro PET BAS IC by using GET CS, which Files on cassette tapes can be accessed by center. That cell is the initial 'target' cell. symbol win be reversed. Subsequently LOG 23 RND RNDI-l) gram stack and other system requirements, accepts a single character from the key name, but the file system is not quite so A white square bli nks at you occasionally chosen drawing symbols are not affected. 1.0 board. Input and output are facilitated complete as those on more expensive RNDIO) 0.9 leaving only 7167 bytes for us. We soon to let you know where the target cell is. RND!l ) micros such as Processor Tech's SOL To erase, make SPACE be the drawing 4.1 found two errors caused by inadequate by the status word ST, logical device SGN Since minimal software documentation 1.1 checking during production: a memory numbers and a WAIT command. Last symbol. The reverse SPACE draws white SIN has been distributed, we had to experi· To draw a picture made of dots, use the chip was flaky and 5 keys on the key but by no means least is the fact that the stripes. DEL erases the target cell with TAN "50 board weren't making contact. Other vast majority of error messages are not ment alot before we could read data fLies program's target-motion keys. They are out changing the drawing symbol. You user FN 2.4 'problems' turned out to be: only comprehensible but even useful! reliably. By the way, we've tried out a not the same as the PET's cursor keys. can 'un-DEL' using the '5' key. cont'd
8 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 9 When you want to admire your drawin~ ARITHMETIC OPERATORS Other Features. You can draw with the graphics on keys I . 9 by SHIFTing. without the screen blinking at you pen appro~, rim' These are the only keys in the program odically, press RETURN. Then, to make symbol (mi/llwc) the target cell blink again, type any other affected by SHIFT. I OtB, ,tB 0.3 key; '5' is a good choice. ,Ie 32 50 to 100 else To start a new picture, press CLR. OIB, A/1 O.S To move the target without changing I To stop drawing so you can do something .I~ 2 to 5 the picture, get rid of the drawing O·B, A·O 0.4 symbol by pressing either of the CRSR else with your PET, first press RETURN ,,~ 1.5 to 3 keys, then use the digi t keys to move and then press STOP. THE DATA HANDLER • 0.3 to 1 the target. When you are ready to draw 0.3 to I again, press a graphics key or RVS. Have fun! o -.0.<.< -.>.>- 0.7 USERS MANUAL: AND,OR 1.7 NOT 1.4 1 REM PET DRAWING PROGRAM VARIABLES AND CONSTANTS 2 REM COPYRIGHT 1977 "PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS" PART 6 appro~. rime 3 REM PERMISS)ON TO USE, NOT TO SELL item (milllsfJC) Initializes constants. 10 Pl=59409: P2=52: P3=60 A, AS, A-, AS- 0.7 10 10.7-+nv·0.tJ BY DON INMAN nv - no. of variables Slits timing lor blinking. 20 WH=5O: Bl=53: WT=5 in program Pun 'SHIFT.o' center sereen. 30 Y=12: X-20: GR=ASC(" "j AND 127 AA, AAS. AA- , AA$- 0.2 mo", than above Cleans sereen. 40 PRINT" A% 0.3 mo", than A 50 GOTO 2300 A%- 0.6 more than A- Looks for kevstroke. 100 GET C$: IF C$='''' GOTO 3000 999 1 pel" digit Keystroke to unshifted aseii. 150 C=ASC (CS) AND 127 .999 0.7-+-(4.2 per digiti Checks target blinked off. 200 IF FL>=WH THEN GOSUB 4000 EI6 0.2+(O.4·e~ponent) RETURN causes long blink. 250 IF C"' 13 THEN Fl"-1.0E8: GOTO 100 E.16 0.2+13.0oll~ponent) Reset short blink. 300 Fl=WH- WT "ABCDE" (0.6 to 0.7)+10.02 Handles number key. 400 IF CS>"""l " AND CS<="9" THEN 1700 per char) Handles graphIC key. 450 IF C>=32 GOTO 1000 II to 1.5)· Don Inman is a former teECher, now editor of CalculatoR/Com· M(I), .. .J 500 IF C:20 THEN POKE L,32 Ino. of subseripaJ DEL blanks IIr90t cell. puters, who's been working with teachers in the San Jose Handles RVS. 600 IF C:18 GOTO 1200 School District. Under Dan's guidance, the teachers have built Handles CRSR. 700 IF C=170R C=29 THEN GR=-l Data Handlers, complete microcomputer systems based on the TIMING PROGRAM CLR·HOME cause. reston. 800 IF C=19 GOTO 30 6502 microprocesscr, and are now learning to use them. This 900 GOTO 100 is the sixth in a series of articles aimed at teaching relatively 100 Encode Iymbol for display. 1000 GR=64 OR C inexperienced people how to do assembly language program· 200 TI"TI 1100 GOTO 1300 ming for the 6502. 300 FOR I- I TO N R8'$8t drawing symbol. 1200 IF GR
LABEL OPERATOR OPERAND COMMENTS LABEL OPERATOR OPERAND COMMENTS
LOX S{ ) Load the first number in X register LOX $08 Load X register with counter for 8·bits GO LOA $FC50 Load the accumulator with 2nd number CLO Clear decimal mode CLO Clear decimal mode CLC Clear carry CLC Clear carry LOOPl ASL HIORD Shift hi·order partial product AOC $FC61 Add accumulator to partial sum ASL PARTL Shift lo·order partial product STA $FC61 Store back as new partial sum BCS OBL Branch if carry to increment hi·order BCS HIORD Branch if carry to increment hi·order LOOP2 ASL MULTP Shift multiplier left into carry COUNT OEX Decrement the X register BCS MULT Branch if carry to add partial product 8NE GO Test X register, branch back if not=O CONT OEX Decrement the X register JUMP FINIS Jump if X register=O to finish BNE LOOPl Branch back if X register not = 0 HIORD LOA $FC60 Load accumulator with high order JUMP END Jump to end if X register = 0 CLC Clear any carry MULT CLC Clear carry ADC $01 Add one LOA PARTL Load accumulator with partial product (lo) STA $FC60 Store back the result AOC MULTC Add the multiplicand JMP COUNT Jump back to decrement X register STA PARTL Store back in partial product (10) FINIS JMP FINIS Loop until program is halted JMP ODNT Jump back to decrement X register OBL INC HIORD Increment hi-order partial product CLC Clear carry JMP LOOP2 Jump back END JMP END Loop here until halted
MULTIPLICATION a 1 1 0 multiplicand order 8 bits, and PARTL names the location where the low portion of the dividend, a zero is entered in the quotient_ Our a 1 a 1 multiplier order 8 bits will be held. Both are initialized to zero before computer can implement this by shifting the dividend left into The easiest method to achieve multiplication is by successive running the program. Memory locations are also needed to a 1 1 a 1st partial product is 6 a new memory location and comparing this number to the addition. One number is used as a counter to tell the arith· hold the multiplier and the multiplicand. These are named a a a a 2nd partial product is a divisor. If the divisor is smaller or equal, a one is placed in the metic unit how many times the other number should be added MUL TP and MUL TC, respectively, in the program. a 1 1 a 3rd partial product is 6 quotient. The quotient is then shifted left to make room for to itself. From the computer's viewpoint this method is very the next try. slow, but it works. Let's assume we wish to multiply two 8·bit cO~O;-;O,-,;O--;---;--;;- 4th partial product is a Each time we pass through Loop 1 the partial products are a a 1 1 1 1 a Result = 16+8+4+2 = 30 numbers and need 16 bits to express our result. increased or left alone (depending on whether a carry is pro 06AC DC duced when the multiplier is shifted left). The partial products We notice that if a specific multiplier bit is zero, we get zero are also shifted left to reflect the descending place values of 1 1 1 1 0 = 8E As an example, the X·register could be loaded with one num· for that partial product. If the specific multiplier bit is one, ~ the multiplier. The high order partial product is incremented a a a ber and used as a counter. The second number could be stored get the multiplicand for that partial product. We also not!ce 0000 1100)0000 0110 1010 1100 each time a carry occurs from the Jaw order partial product. 1 1 0 a in some memory location. We would load the accumulator that each partial product is shifted left one place as ascendIng The X-register is decremented with each pass through the loop. 1 a 1 a 1 from that memory, decrement the X-register, add the number place values of the multiplier are encountered. The order of When it reaches zero, all 8 bits of the multiplier have been 1 1 a 0 in memory, decrement the X-register (testing the X-register to the multiplication does not matter. We might just as well have tested and we exit from the loop to the end of the program. see if we are finished). and continue branching back to add the worked from the high order multiplier bit to the lowest. In 1 a a 1 1 1 1 number from memory and decrement the X·register until it fact, this will work best for computer implementation. The Write a machine language program to implement the mnemon a a 1 1 1 has counted down to zero. hand calculation would look like this: ic code of this program. De-bug your program and run it. If a 1 1 0 you get stuck, one implementation is shown on the follOwing a Above is a listing for the symbolic code which might be used o 1 0 page. R - 4 100 for such a program. As an exercise, write the machine language o 0 1 program which would implement this code. The program on a 0 a a A flowchart of a typical program and a listing of the program DIVISION page 44 is provided as a sample answer. a 1 1 a appears on the following pages. The program uses an 8-bit o 0 0 0 divisor in memory location FD03, a 16-bit quotient in loca Memory location FC50 is set up to hold the multiplicand. The a 1 1 a The division operation can be achieved by successive subtrac tions FOOl (most significant 8 bits) and FD02 (least signifi X-register is to be loaded with the multiplier. Location FC.61 0011110 30 tion of the divisor from the dividend in a manner similar to cant B bits). The quotient appears in FD04. FDOO is used to holds the low order partial product, and FC60 holds the hIgh that used for multiplication by successive addition. An alterna store the remainder, and the X-register is used for counting. order partial product. The $ symbol indicates a hexadecimal With this in mind consider the above program. tive method will be demonstrated here using an 8·bit divisor number is used. and a 16-bit dividend. As can be seen, we examine the divi dend from the most significant digit downward until the divi Let's now look at an alternative method for multiplication. This program multiplies two 8-bit numbers and produces a sor is less than, or equal to, that part of the dividend. At this Consider a binary multiplication of 6 X 5. Writing it in the 16-bit result. Two memory locations are needed to hold ~e point, a 1 appears in the quotient and the divisor is subtracted form normally used for hand calculation: result. HIORD names the memory location to hold the hIgh from that part. When the divisor is larger than the examined
12 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC 13 - -- I
DIVISION PROGRAM DIVISION PROGRAM FOR MULTIPLICATION BY SHIFTING l6·BIT DIVIDEND; 8.bit divisor, l6-bit dividend, a·bit Quotient 9-81T DIVISOR, QUOTIENT, and REMAINDER LABEL LOC INST COMMENTS I( START LABEL LOC CODE MNEM COMMENTS LABEL LOC CODE MNEM COMMENTS FCOO A2 Load X register r LOAOX . " I FC2E Shift left hi·dividend. FC01 08 with 8. FCOO D8 CLD Clear decimal mode. HIORD OE ASL FC02 08 CLO FCOl A2 LDX Load the X register with FC2F 01 FC03 18 CLC FC02 11 count. FC30 FD Shift Left FoOO-l lOOPl Shift left remainder. Increment hi·dividend. LOOPl FC04 OE ASL HIORD I FC03 OE ASL FCll EE INC Shift Left FD04 FC05 03 FC04 00 FCl2 01 FC06 FD FC05 FD FC33 FD ~. FC07 OE ASL PARTL FC06 OE ASL Shift left quotient. FC34 4C JMP Jump back to lOOP3. FCOS 02 I Shift Left FD02l FC07 04 FC35 11 FC09 FO FCOa FD FCl6 FC FCOA 80 8CS 08L lOOP2 FC09 OE ASL Shift left Io-dividend. INCR FC37 EE INCR Increment remainder. FCOB 18 y" FCOA 02 FC38 00 FCOB LOOP2 Fcae OE ASL MULTP -~j> FD FCl9 FD FCOD 01 FCOC BO BCS Branch if carry to 4C3A 4C JMP Jump back to lOOP4. FCOE FO FCOD 20 HIORD. 4C3B 13 FCOF 80 BCS MULT No FCOE OE ASL Shift left hi·dividend. FClC FC FCOF 01 FINIS FC3D 43 LSR Shift right remainder. FC10 06 1 Shift Left FDOl 1 FC10 FD FC3E 00 COUNT Fcn CA OEX I Shift left FDOll Increment FOOll lOOP3 FCll BO BCS Branch if carry to INCR. FC3F FD FC12 DO 8NE LOOPl I. I FC13 FO FC12 24 FC40 AD LDA Load the Quotient. FC14 4C JMP END LOOP4 FC13 CA DEX Decrement counter. FC41 04 Branch if it: 0 to FINIS, FC15 2A y" FC14 FO BEQ FC42 FD Output Quotient. FC16 FC J, FC15 27 FC43 8D STA FC17 18 CLC FC16 38 SEC Set carry for subtraction. FC44 FE MULT \ Increment FOOD I 7F FC18 AD LDA PARTL ~ FCn AD LDA Lood hi·dividend lhru FC45 No Wait in this loop for sig· FC19 02 FC18 00 remainder. FC46 AD LDA nal (strobe from input). FC1A FD FC19 FD FC47 FF FC1B 6D ADC MUl TC FC1A ED S8C Subtract divisor. FC48 7F I Decrement X . \ back no signal. FC1C 00 FC1B 03 FC49 FO BEQ Go If FClD FD FC1C FD FC4A FB FC1E 8D STA PARTl FC1D 30 BMI Branch if neg. to lOOP1. FC48 AD LDA If signal load remainder. FC1F 02 y" FC1E E4 FC4C 00 FC20 FD FC1F 8D STA STORE remainder. FC4D FD FC2l 4C JMP COUNT FC20 00 FC4E 8D STA Now, output remainder. FC22 6 FC2l FD FC4F FE FC23 "FC No FC22 OE ASL Shift left remainder. FCSO 7F D8L FC24 EE INC HIORD FC23 00 FC51 4C JMP It's all over nowl!lI FC25 03 FC24 FD FC52 51 FD Set Carry FC25 OE ASL Shift left Quotient. FC53 FC FC26 Load FDOO IShift Right FDOO I FC27 4C JMP lOOP2 FC26 04 Subtract FD03 FC28 OC FC27 FD Load: FDOO 00 FC29 FC FC28 EE INC I ncrement Quotient. FCOl hi·order dividend bits FC29 04 FD02 lo-order dividend bits END FC2A 4C JMP END L.,- y" FC2B 2A FC2A FD FD03 divisor FC2C FC <&> FC2B 4C JMP Jump back to lOOP2. FD04 00 FC2C 09 FFFC 00 FC2D Load: FDOO with multiplicand, FOOl with multiplier, FD02 No FC FFFD FC (END) Strobe zero into input port with 00, and FD03 with 00. ~ Answer: High order in FD03, low order in FD02. Store in FOOO Shift Left FDOO Shift left FOO4 If you don't have your input and output ports wired vet, Increment FD04 the quotient is in location FD04, remainder in FOOO.
The next and final article in this series will discuss simple and inexpensive output devices. 0 NOV·OEC 15 1. PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS SECTION 1, DRAGONSTUFF 5. Compassionate drill and practice. ARITHMETIC BY BOB ALBRECHT 6. Interactive story telling. THE DRAGON really easy-(Q-use. Unless, of course, 7. GraphiCS and music. What kind of arithmetic should our Tin y For example, with eight digits, we soon you are one of those gifted people for Language have? Look at some elementary bog down in exploring the following pat· We expect 10 obtaill grams and hardware whom most any computer language is • For some of the above, pILOT is sc hool math books. I recommend books terns. people who WATCH LOTS OF KlDS as prizes to fUrther the Tiny Language easy-to-learn and easy-to-use. As we beller than BASIC. For some of the in the widely-used series Mathematics 9x9::8 1 LEARNING HOW TO PROGRAM IN exfravagall:a. For starters, Ollr good move down to earlier grade levels, we above, BASIC is better than PILOT. Around Us, published by Scott, 99 x 99:: 9801 VARIOUS LANGUAGES (All kinds of [n'end AI/onymous has donated $1000 lind it increasingly difficult to leach For some, neither language is suitable. Foresman and Company in Glenview, 999 x 999 = 99800 I kids - not just carefully selected 10 year to promote tile de~'elopmcnt of TillY BASIC to sludents or to teachers. • So ... for my purposes, a single lan Ittinois. 9999 x 9999 = 9998000 I old geniuses). Languages! We expect 10 hal'e the COI/ • Enter PILOT. PILOT is easier-to-Iearn guage that combines the utilities of 99999 x 99999 = OVERFLOW feSl aspects of the project spelled Ollt than BASIC, especially for younger PILOT and BASIC would be nice. But, GRADES I T03 - TO BE CONTINUED- ill our Jal/.-Feb. issue. Meal/while, kids and teachers of younger kids. for me to use it, it's gOI 10 be easy-to Kids learn to compute with whole num This pattern continues. Be nice to pur let's hear from you! PILOT is also easier-to-use (than learn, easy-to-use. bers (non-negative integers) - very little sue it a little further. BASIC) for many educational applica use of mixed decimal numbers. La St time we said: tions, particularly tutorial dialog. HARDWARE II x II::: 121 RECOMMENDED READING It's Tiny Language time again! This lime, However, for many other ed ucational GRADE4 Illxlll:::12321 Dennis Allison and I and (we hope) lots applications, it is dreadful. Our Tiny Language might run on a • Some addition and subtraction of III1 x III J '" 1234321 I. People's Computers- PILOT articles of you people out there, want to design a • I am moder:ltely 'Ouent' in FOR Home/School computer that looks like numbers with one or two decimal 1111 1 xlii i J = OVERFLOW especially see Volume 5, Numbers 4 - 6 language that TRAN :llld BASIC. I began working this: places. and Volume 6, Numbers 1 and 2. • Is good for Tiny BASIC type problems with elementary and secondary school • Division of whole numbers, with re This pattern breaks down. We would and is also good for Tiny PI LOT type students in 1962, using FORTRAN. In mainder. like to get to the breakdown point, see 2. 'Tilting at Windmills, or What's Wrong problems. 1965, wilh a prolonged sigh of relief, I • Very brief introduction to addition it happen, then talk about it! with BASIC?' by Marc l..e Brun in • Is designed 10 be most useful to ele abandoned FO RTRAN, switched to and subtraction of fractions. People's Computer Company·, Vol mentary school kids (at home or at BASIC, and formed SHAFT (Society For a second type of arithmetic, I would ume I. Numbe r 2 (December 1972) good luck - this issue is out of print! sc hool) and also useful to teachers :md to Help Abolish FORTRAN Teach GRADES suggest using calculator arithmetic - the parents of elementary school kids. ing). Now I'm ready for something • Multiplication of mixed numbers with type used in inexpensive, four function 3. 'Wh y I HATE My Computer When It • Can be implemented in about 4K beller than BASIC. up to three decimal places. cal culators. Calculator people call it {loat Speaks in BASIC' by James W. Garson, bytes of ROM with extensions possible • Unfortunately, I know little about • Multiplication of fractions. ing point, but it is lIot what computer People's Computer Company·, Vol in RAM. languages such as LISP, SNOBOL, people have called Ooating point. That is, ume 5, Number 5 (March-April 1977). • Runs on a Personal Computer whose LOGO and SMALL TALK. If you GRADE 6 it is not scientific notation. It simple advanced chip technology controls a have experience in teaching or learning • Oivision of mixed decimal numbers. means that the point 'Ooats' back and 4. ' A Critical Look at BASIC' by Dennis color TV with simple graphics. or using these languages, please share! • Division of fractions. forth in the display. Since lots of kids will Allison in Dr. Dobb's louTl/ol. Vol • APL makes my teeth rattle. ume I, Number 2 (February 1976). • Negative numbers - first time! be using this type of calculator, they will So, with your help, we want to design a • I don't like to program, but I do like be accustomed to this type of arithmetic. 5. 'Playing Games at the Center' by Tiny Language for the home/school com to use computers - and I like to help Joanne Kohnow Verplank in CoIClt puter. We would like this language to be sWdents and teachers learn how to use So, in grades I to 6, we work primarily in PARTING THOUGHTS latOrs/Computers Magazine, May useful for educational and recreational computers. Ha ving to write programs the realm of whole numbers. However, 1977. applications. It has to be learnable and always gets between me :lIId what I keep in mind that, beginning at about 4th We're looking for teachable and easy-to-use. want to do with computers. grade, we will see a lot of calcula tors PARTICIPATION 6. ' It 's Fun/It's Educational - Classroom • In working (well, playing) with ele being used by kids at school and at home. COOPERATION Computer Games' by Joanne Koltnow OK - I'LL NOW STICK MY NECK OUT: mentary school children, I like these ENTHUSIASM ... Verplank in Colcu!ators/Computers computer applications: MagaZine, October 1977. • The most widely used computet lan I suggest that, in our initial design of a guage in elementary and secondary I. Games. Tiny Language, we use integer arithmetic. school educations is BASIC. There is 2. Simulations. We should allow at least eight decimal • Note: prior to Volume 5, Number 6 not even a close runner-up. 3. Math recreations (e.g., simple num digits - but big numbers are fun, so may (May-Iune 1977), People's Compu • Contrary to conventional wisdom, ber theory). be we should think about letting the user YOUR ideas on how to design a language ters was in newspaper format and BASIC is lIot easy-to-learn, nor is it 4. Math problem-solving. increase the limit to more digits. for kids. We especially want to hear from called People's Computer Company.
16 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 17 -
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF LANGUAGES BCPL (Bootstrap Combined Programming Language) A simple recursivt! langauge for compiler _iting and _ysteml program E:> 18 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC 19 - 1 Ref: Feldman, J.A., and Rovner, P.O., "An ALGOL-Based ASSOCiative Contact: John Starkweather, Office of I nformation Systems, Univ. Contact: Alan Kay or Adele Goldberg. Learning Research Group, Language," Comm. ACM, Vol 12, NO.8 (Aug. 1969); Rovner, P.O., Calif., San Francisco, CA 94143. Xerox PARC, Palo Alto, Calif. and Feldman, J.A .. "The LEAP Language and Data Structure," Proc. Application Area: Computer-assisted instruction. Application Area: Interactive Programming. IFfP Congl'(J$$ 1968, Vol. I, North-Holland Publishing Ccr., Amnerdam, Netherlands (1969). PL/I SNOBOL4 Contact: Jerome A. Feldman, Dept. of Computer Science, Univ. A language suitable for doing numerical, scientific, and business data A language emphaSizing string handling and pattern matching. Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627. processing problems and for systems programming. Combines the most Implemenred on: Most large-scale computet1. Application Area: Multipurpose. significant concepts from previous languages in the individual areas. Ref: Griswold. R.E., Poage, J.F., and Polonsky. I.P., The SNOBOL4 ANSI standard nearly completed, expocted mid-1976. Standard was Programming Language, 20d ed. Prentice·Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. LISP 1.5 (LISt ProceS$ing) developed jointly with ECMA, and is being submitted for approval by (1971); Griswold, R.E., and M.T., A SNOBOL4 Primer, Prentice-Hall, A verv sophisticated and theoretically oriented language for doing list 051 also. Pl/C is a widely used dialect of PL/t. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. (19731 ; SNOBOL Bulletin. Z-80 processing. Various dialects exist, e.g., MAC LISP, INTERLISP. Implemented on: IBM System/360, Honeywell 6180, Burroughs, and Contact: Ralph E. Griswold, University Computer Center, Univ. Ari· Implemented on: Many compuU!rs in both batch and interactive modes. CDC computers. zona, Tucson, AZ 85721. Ref; BerkehlV, E.C., and Bobrow, D.G. lEek.!, The Programming Lan Ref: IBM System/360PL/1 Reference Manual. Form C28-8201, IBM Application Area: String processing. guage LISP; Its Operation and Applicaliom, M.LT. Pren, Cambridge, Data Processing Division, White Plains, NY 10604; Multics PL/f Lan· Mass. (l966);Weissman, C., LISP 1.5 Primer. Dickenson PubliShing Co. guage, Documant AG97. Honeywell Information SUstems, 60 Walnut SPEAKEASY PILOT Inc., Belmont, Calif. (1967). St., Welleslev Hills, MA 02181; BSR X3.53 Programming Language An easily learned yet powerful array processing language with built·in Contact: ----_ PL/I (draft standard). matrix algebra. Library-ariented svstem has facilities for statistical anal Application Area: List processing. Contact; (For the standard) Director of Standards, CBEMA, 1828 L St. ysis, graphical output and database access. Is a powerful desk calculator N.W., Washington, DC 20036. in a time·sharing environment. Logo Application Area: Multipurpose. Implemented on: IBM System/360, 370, DEC PDP·l0, and Japanese In previous issues (Volume 5, Numbers A recursive procedure-based language designed for educational applica' computers. 5 & 6) we published an experimental tions. Used in teaching mathematics, heuristics, and formal methods in PPL (Polymorphic Programming Language) Ref: Coheo, 5., The SPEAKEASY-3 Referenca Manual, ANL-BOOO, courses ranging from elementary to university leV1!ls, An interactive. extensible language which contains facilities for defining National Technical Information Service, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 5285 ver5ion of a PI LOT interpreter in Z·80 Implemented OIl: Several DEC Computers and IBM System/360. new data types and operatOt1. Port Roval Rd .. Springfield, VA 22151; Cohen,S., "Speakeasy," SIG· assembly language written by our long Ref: Feurzeig, W., et aI., Programming Languages as a Concepwal Implemented on: DEC PDP-l0 and PDP-l'. PLAN Norices, Vol. 9, NO.4 (April 1974). time friend Dean Brown of ZiI09. Framework for Teaching Mafhemafics, BBN Report No. 2165 (June Ref: Taft, E.A., PPL User's Manual, Aiken Computation Lab., Harvard Contact: Stanley Cohen, The Speakeasy Center. Argonne National Although Dean has now made a num 1971); Papert, S., Teaching Children Thinking, AI Memo 247, M.I.T. Univ., Cambridge, MA (Sept. 1974); Standish T.A.; An Introduc. Lab., Argonne, I L 60439. Artificial Intelligence Lab,. Cambridge, MA 02139 (Oct. 1971). tion of PPL Programming. Aiken Compo Lab., Harvard Univ., Application Area: Numerical scientific. ber of additions to his PI LOT, it still Cont/:tCt: Wallace Fuerzeig, Bolt, Beranek & Newman, 50 Moulton St,. Cambridge, MA (Sept. 1974). takes only 700 bytes in assembly code. Cambridge, MA 02138. Contact: Thomas A. Standish, Dept. of Information and Computer TRAC ® Language The PILOT is designed to run on a Appfication Arsa: Multipurpose. Sciences, Univ. Calif. at Irvine, CA 92664 or Edward A. Taft, Xerox Interactive nring manipulation language involving nested functions and system that has a Z-80 CPU, ZiI09'$ macro facilities. (®Trademark and Service Mark of Rockford Research, PalO Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hlil Road, Palo Alto, disc operating system (which takes MUMPS (Massachusetu General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming eA 94304. Inc.) System) Application Area: Multipurpose. Implemented on: DEC PDp·l 0 and other computet1. 16K of memory) and one or two disc A fairly general language with emphasis on string handling and complex Ref: Mooers, C.N .. "TRAC: A Procedure·Describing Language for the drives. data handling including hierarchical data. Developed and standardized PROTEUS Reactive Typewriter," Comm. ACM, Vol. 9. No.3 (March 1966);Def by the MUMPS Development Committee which includes representatiV1!s An extensible language with a small core from which to extend. Various inition and Standard for TRAC® T-64 Language, Rockford Research, With the exception of the compute from many hospitals, universities and goV1!rment agencies. Active users descendants exist; see, e.g. PARSEC. Inc., 140 1/2 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (1972). group exists, and wide variety of applications haV1! been developed Implemented on; XDS 940; different descendants on IBM System/360, Contact: Calvin Mooers, address above. command, C:, the Z-80 PILOT com using MUMPS, although primary purpose is for use in medical applica 370, UNIVAC 1108. SIGMA 5. Application Area; String processing. 0 mands work as do those described on tions. ReI: Bell. J.R., ThB Design ofa Minimal Expandable Computer Lan page 22. C: enables certain limited Implemented on: PDP-l0, PDP·ll. guage, Dept. of Computer Science, Stanford Univ., Stanford, Calif. types of arithmetic so you can keep (Ph.D. thesis), (Doc. 1968). Ref: MUMPS LANGUAGE STANDARD. Superintendent of Docu \:I go track of scores, number of guesses, ments, U.S, Government Priming Office, NBS Handbook 118, SO Cata· Contact: James R. Bell, Digital Equipment Corp., Research & Develop "bl~"O OQo log No. C13. 11 :118 (1975); MUMPS News (continuing issuance), 700 ment, 146 Main Street, ML3-4/E41, Maynard, MA 01754. " . and so on. There are four numeric !!~,IID. •• South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110. Application Area: Systems programming. (10 () n 000 ., • variables: I, J, K, and L Each variable Contact!: Joan Zimmerman, Executive Secretary, MUMPS Uset1' GC0() , .. may be set to zero or have the number Group, 700 SOUth Euclid Avenue, 51. Louis, MO 63110 or Jack 80wie, SIMULA 67 (SIMUlation LAngua9E!, 1967) 1 added to it. Chairman, MUMPS Development Committee, Laboratory of Computer A powerful language designed lIS a true extension of ALGOL 60. with -, Science, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114. built·in capabilities for list processing, text handling and Simulation. ..~ 000 C: ZI The letter Z before a numeric Application Are.1; Multipurpose. Distinct from ilS predecessor known as SIMULA (now SIMULA 0, variable sets the value to 0; so I which was primarily a simulation language. Q 0 <> I' is now O. PASCAL Implemented on: Many computer•. C: K A numeric variable not preceded A language designed to enable teaching of programming as a systematic RBf: Dahl, 0.5., Myhrhaug, B., and Nygaard, K., Common BaSil Lan· by a Z causes 1 to be added to discipline and to do systems programming. Based on ALGOL, empha guage. Norwegian Computing Center, Oslo 3, Norway; Birtwistle, G.M .. 000 Sizing aspects of structured programming, and extending ALGOL pri· Dahl, O.J., Myhrhaug, B .. and Nygaard, K .. SIMULA begin, Auberbilch, the yalue; sO 1 is added to the • ... t...... marily with convenient data structuring facilities. Has been used to Philadelphia (1973). Also, Simula Newsletter from Norwegian Compu· IIWj~:~ . . va lue of K. write its own compiler. ting Center. " Implemented on; Many computers. Contact: SIMULA group, Norwegian Computing Center, Forskning • You may obtain a listing of Z·80 Ref: Jensen, K., and Wirth, N., PASCAL User Manual and Report, sveien lB,OsI03,Norway. Springer Study Edition (1975); Wirth. N., Systematic Programming, Application Area: Multipurpose. PILOT from Zilog Corporation. Or Prentice·Hall, Englewood Cliffs. N.J. (1972). send a 7-inch soft-sectored disc to Contact; U. Ammann. Fed. Inst. of Technology, Clausiusstr. 55, 8006 Zilog al']d it will be returned with a Zurich. Switzerland; George H. Richmond, Univ. Colorado Computing SMALLTALK free copy of Z·80 PILOT. Center, 3645 Marina St., Boulder, CO 80302. A powerful extensible language designed for the Xerox Interim Dyna Application Area: Multipurpose. book. It is an objoct'Ofientad extensible language which draws upon and expands many of the ideas in Simula, Flex, Logo, and Lisp. While - Contact; PILOT general purpose, it is strongly biased towards non'f'lumeric computa Dean Brown A simple language for preparing computer-ilssisted instruction courses. tion. Zilog, lnc. Various vel'$ions have been written in BASIC. APL \360. and SNOBOL, Impl6fT/Bnted on: Interim Dynabook. 10460 Bubb Road and some have different names. Ref; Kay, A., and Goldberg, A., "Pet1onal Dynamic Media," Computtlr Implemented on; Several computel'$. Magazine, Vol. 10, No.3 (March 1977) pp. 3 1-43; Kav, A., "Micro Cupertino, CA 95014 Rof; Rubin,S., "A Simple Instructional Language," Computer Deci· Electronics and the Personal Computer," Scientific American (Sept. #om, Vol. 5, No. 11 (Nov. 1973); Rubin, S., PILOT 73, Stanford Re 1977) PP. 231-244; Kay, A., and Goldberg, A., Smallralk·72 Imtrv(; search InS1itute, Menlo Park, CA 94025 rion Manual, Xerox PARC (1976). "Our O,ristmas card list was getting so large that we lIad to get one. " PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC " - •o •· o • ·• •. .'"• ·H•• • • ~.• • '" • " "•• • • -• o • •o • .. •o fLOT • • ••"" • •• •'. • PROGRAMS BY ELLEN NOLD & SALLIE CAN NOM ..• • o• '"...... • • •o • • •• ••• • • • • U• ... , • • • • .•~ • • · ~ : • • •• •· -• • .. - •o • • • • PILOT is a language that's easy to learn •• • • RUN OF CINNAMON ..o • ~ . . and easy to use. People's Computers • o. •• • • ••o • i regularly features PILOT articles and pro ••o HI J What's your full name? .. grams. Here are 3 computer-assisted in • >Christine Anne Brunet -.~ . struction (CAJ) programs in PYLON. a For what reason were you given a name? ••• first cousin of PILOT; they were written >for purposes of Identification ..-. Yes, Your name Ijentifies you . by Ellen Nold and Sallie Cannom of Stan It signals YOUr uniqueness. ford University for use in freshman Eng • Your parents gave you their last name to show • Q lish composition classes. that, In a sense, you belong to them. Your fIrst ...... ", and mIddle nallleS reflect your speclalness. ... ~H"" .. l-<'" On this page is what happened when a When do people's last names change? student named Chris 'ran' a program >women often change their names upon marral,ge named 'Cinnamon'. Each line that Chris Yeah. Why Is It that the woman's name changes In marrIage? ~ typed is preceded by')'. >It 's a cultural tradition •• Our tradItion has It that a \~oman belongs to her hUSband. • • A summary of some PILOT commands: The name change indicates a shift In the power relationshI p . • • •• SpeakIng of tradItion, why do you suppose God had Adam and Eve : • R: Remark indicated that the text follow name all the animals Instead of doing It hImself? " ••.0 I ing on the same line is a comment >So they'd remember the name s better? • • • • z '" • ••.~ •o about the program, and is not part of Perhaps to give them a sense of being In charge. • • •• • • ~ •• • the program. o . •o • Names are powerful and namIng Is a powerful process. j . : ~• •• · ~. • -• T: Type prints out on the terminal the Memb~rs of certaIn AfrIcan tribes, for example, always • • • • • • • ••• ~ ... • o • -• ~• • text following on the same line. use an alias . Can you guess why? o • • • • ••• • >To permit them to tell theIr tru names only to frIends •• ...... c .,..c " • .-. A: Ask causes the computer to pause and • c ...... • • •o ,.."" They are fearful that harm may be done to them .," .,.. .. ~ • .... o ...... ,.4 ... o wait for user input. by someone holding the knowledge of theIr real name. ., 0 • • • • ..~= M:Match checks to see if what the user " o •., co• ...... ~ • ..c.,. .. 11' e • 0" Names also categorize us In a rather fInal way. •• .. ., .. c.,. • • typed in for the last Ask command • ...... c ~ matches any of the items listed after Bo r n Elmer you wIll probably remaIn Elme r...... , ...... • ...'" Some NatIve AmerIcan tribes get around this "locking In" by ,Iv In, •.~ • .,. , • •• .. • ... _.,:> 0 •o .. • .0• • • -" III" • ~ the M: command. If there is a match, tentative names to their offspri n,. later the children • • "' .... ., .., '" .. the match flag is turned on; if there is get other names, What do you think of that? ...... ,...... <> . . " • •• ••• ., 0 -• • .. • • • ••• >P rett Interesting Idea. « • •• • ., .Q.,. """ ... 0 " no match, the match flag is not turned :0 0 ...... o.• , ••'" I thInk It reflects one way of seeln, people as process ...... • • .·...... '" .,• "" on. o' rather than fixed entitles . ,.'" '"'" = ""' _..c ...... • •• >- • ...... ~.. '" • ••• • • J: Jump causes a branch to the label ~ z ..... 0 0 " " Ill .. .• • ,'" ... So : names are IJentlflers; they are powerful; 0 · .... · ...... named: that command is executed .~•• .· ..,•• 'IOU ·• ~0. .,,. '" ..., .. III. ., ~.• • .. they sometImes signify ownership . '" 0 •'" 0- .. :> • ., .. ~ • 0 '" next. II . • • • •• Can you thInk of anythIng else? • .. ~ -c • . , . • 0" • 0'" ...... , Y: and N: Yes and No test the match flag. >they can be a wa, of carrying on fam i ly traditions • • • , • ... o.• .. • ·. , • • • 'JY:' means 1ump if the match flag is They C,1n be descriptive and reflectIve of their object. •:.0 ••., ..... Ill .. ·. . .. " .. ~ ••o • ...... ,. ~ ..• '" .... 0 ...... c • • • yes, or turned on.' • • " • :> c·.. As students of lan~ua,ge, we need to remember ,.,"' .... • • •••. "'" '" ·H E: End stops execution of that part of that names and the naming process are a r bitrary. " " .. 0 • . • '" " ...... e .. •• III C • • •o • The final authority to create and use names, .. 00 ..... O •• • the program in which it occurs. :moo", .. ". .'U ... C: Compute permits evaluation of at to shape a reality by them, rests wIth YOU and wIth me. -"" least some arithmetic expressions. To explore your own name, try Sugar . U: Use calls subroutines. Bye for now, ChrIstine Anne Brunet . 22 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 23 -- 1 • • · . • • •~ • .0'. • • •o .•~ • o •,. • • ..• • • • • • ••• ..•• o _.• • ••• • ••• • • ·• •• • , • 0 • • • -• .•• • • • " > • -. "• • • •• •• • 00 • i • • • .'• • -. • • • ".• • ••,. .••. • • • • • • • ~ · . •" • • • • . •• " " H • .• " " • • • • •• ·1". •• • .·• • .. • • • • 0 • • • ·• • • .- •• • Q... "".., • -• · ~ " . • .. •, ;II"""" "."... '", . •• • . ..". •o· & . ."" ., 0 .. • 0 ' • .. ,. .-.0 .. · .. • ...• •" ·, . ::" : ~ f! • , ., "• •• ., Q .. 'J! "" • ~ ~ g • .,•• ..• .. u Q. '" • • •. ...,'" "" • ••• • .,• .. """ .c,...""",,...... " .. • • ·• • • • • .. " .. c '" , .. • ~ • • • ·• •~ ••.• ., . 'I' ":: ... ,, • • • ,• •.. • · ""• •• ~~ , • ·o ,~ •., • ""• .1 .Z'!:""; .::: • , •• •., .... • ::I ...... · • • •• • • :II " 'J " • " .. • " ...... -= ... '~ • • ., '" • • ", • • ••• • • .• • ...... ~ • • , .. ••. " • ~ • • • .. .. c .... III "'.... , "" U • • ... ,; · -" " .,. " • . .•" • , ..., " .."• ...... , """.. '" • • • • " ... •• • • • •• ...... " ... ." • • • ..• ·o. • .. " " .. " 0, .. '. '" " • • ' " •• • •• 1,1 - ." • ,~.• •• ' ~ [ •• ~!';" :;;..';;;;:1 • • • • > • • • .' ...• 0 • _, .. • • • • .. • ...... "" ...... • 'to .. _ • ,.e\Ja • • • ... .. : ... '" '<> -" " .. •• •• .0 , • • • • ,,~ " • • ...... '" ~ J ... ~.., ,. » •" • ...... "' .. , . • • .. ... • 0 "' ...... ~ , .• .> • , ...... ::: .. '" ,...... " ... 3 ~ 2 :~: ~ ; ; . 3 ~ ; e~~~ ~ •~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ,. ' ~~ ~~ - •0 " • .- 0 :>..,.", Ill ..... " .- •• • ,.• • " ...... ':T " ...... ;, 0 • ,.,..,.~ .. .., ..... "" 0: · , -• • 1 ", .. , .. NOV·DEC 25 24 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS -- \ Observing the user's frustration with such programs, outsiders Any ordinary person looking at this keyboard will assume might well conclude that an extremely complex area of re that hitting SHIFT-E will result in the device typing the search has been uncovered and that it represents a new sci· combination 'ENQ', because it appears on top of the E key. ence. They might even approve of research funds being spent Thus, many of our users go through life without ever typing a There capitallerter for fear of unleashing some strange combination to understand why nobody uses the infonnation systems that research funds have been spent to implement. I will of letters or of starting some uncontroUable chain reaction. argue that such a conclusion is wrong, that it only lends Of course, extraordinary persons like us know better. We dignity to a state of confusion that was unnecessarily created know that SHIFT-E on this machine will type a normal capi. by programmers and should be cleaned up by programmers. tal E and that to obtain ENQ one has 10 hit CTRL-E. II is Ain't No knowledge like this that mllkes us extraordinary. (I confess If anything needs to be researched, it is not the user but the social structure that surrounds any infonnation system, be it I have no idea of what would be the circumstances under a set of rules and laws, a library or a computer-based fac ility. which I might need to utter ENQ, and I would be honored II is this social structure which dictates the interface, and to to meet someone who does.) focus attention solely on the problems of the user is to miss User the real issue. The presence of these strange-sounding codes on the keyboard is a small problem. Worse is the fact that touch typing is inhi WHY DON7 PEOPLE USE COMPUTERS? bited by the shape and position of the keys, the variable-delay echoing, and the 'roll-over' feature that prevents depressing Let me offer a simple starting point, suggested to me by more than one key at a time. These features effectively de Science my collegue Hubert Lipinski: 'Wh y don't people use crease the abilities of the proficient typists. computers?' We use computers, of course, and many of our friends do. But we represent a very small minority. We depend Other problems associated with various terminals are: the on computers for our work and for the infonnation that glare on the keyboard, the glare of the plastic plate which gu ides many decisions we make. But people outside this covers the paper, the printing head which often obstructs A Tongue-in-Cheek Discussion community do not use computers in spite of the valuable the user's view of the last few characters, the placement of the of Interactive Systems c--- CC 6) ~ services they can provide. Not only is the man-in·the·street dis keys and the intimidating row of function keys such as INT, Mr and Mrs Average User gusted, intimidated, awed or repelled by computers, but BRK, or READY which have names that bear a very distant many professionals view infomtation p~ocessing with hostility. relationship to what happens when you push them. ~~ The reasons are not buried deep in tt e dark recesses of the BY JACQUES VALLEE human mind. They are plain and simple. They begin with the The Log-In Game. We now peep into the living room where tenninal, which has a plethora of design problems. They Mr and Mrs Average Use r, having finished dinner, decide to grow with the difficulty of logging into a network or into a join their favorite computer network, as they have done every central computer. They blossom as soon as humans begin inter· day for the last two years. Although the network has thus reo corded nearly 800 interactions with them, it apparently has Jacques Vallee lakes complller professionols 10 task for tlleiT Computers can be expected to be used increasingly by non· acting with a piece of software. no way to remember their real names, so they have to be emel alld wlIl:rua[ trcalmellt of Mr, Mrs and Ms Ql'erage user. specialists yet the interaction of this new user population known by the code 'CROWN'. (TIlls is a thrill to Mrs Average Tile author and lIis associates are at tile Instil/lfe for the with the systems we develop is not well understood, a need The TenninaJ. Figure I shows a standard terminal keyboard. User, who is a spy movie fan, but Mr User can never remember Future ill Mel/fo Park, Califon/la. TII/"S article originally ap exists for a thorough analysis of man/machine systems. I am This is the kind of equipment our project has been shipping the password.) Figure 2 shows what happens between the peared in the 1976 Proceedings 0/ the American Sociery for not questioning this need, but I am reluctant to see it glorified to schools, research institutions and government facilities time when they hear the BEEP on the telephone and the Informarion Science. with the name 'user SC ience,' at least until some of the major around the country to train people (not programmers) to use time when the terminal types out something directly related pitfalls have been recognized. our software. Let us assume that the terminal is provided with paper, is in perfect working order and that 311 the settings are to their interest, namely the message 'WELCOME.' We have repeated this operation under four separate commercial TIle current complexities of human interaction with compu In the last three years, a small group of us has had the oppor correct. (I know thls may sound trivial to yoy. but have you networks, which apparently stay in business in spite of their ters can often be traced to poor design and to misunderstand tunity to observe interaction between several hundred non tried to explain to someone oller the phom! how to load a (It ings of the user's motivations and work palterns rather than to specialists and various software systems used for 'conferenc· roll of heat-sensitive paper through a slit on a portable termin· log·jn procedures. would be unfair to this audience to in· genuine scientific problems. Therefore, many problems re ing.' Many of the participants in these conferences had never al? Do you know why there is an INTERNAL switch on a de· clude military or academic computer systems as examples. Their users have no chOice.) lated to poor user acceptance of computer systems do not even used a compu ter terminal before and it was our respon vice that has a built-in coupler?) suggest the need for a new branch of computer science, but s.ibility to train them in everything from the setting of the for an examination of human factors from a psychological and switches on the device to the log-in procedUre on the various sociological point of view. If there is a genuine 'user science,' networks they would be accessing, along with the various it will have to be based on a much more sophisticated model commands available to them through the program. In addition, of human thought processes than is currently available to some of them had to learn certain elementary operations of systems designers. me management. This article draws from examples of man/system interaction It has been an eye-opening experience for us to play this role, in other fields to support the view that better standards, because the members of our group, who had varying degrees serious design guidelines, careful evaluation under real-world of previous acquaintance with computer systems, 'had lost conditions and plain common sense would remove many of their sense of perspective regarding the constraints placed by the existing obstacles for the computer user. systems designers on the dialogue between the machine and its users. We knew that this interaction was a much·neglected My role in this article is that of a black sheep. My objective area of systems programming, but we had never realized just is to raise some hidden issues and to question some of the how cumbersome, preposterous or plainly stupid the inter FIGURE 1. Poor Kevboard Design obvious assumptions we are all making about user science. faces were. 26 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 27 T ABLE.' The puzzled user refers to the section called 'Explana· TELENET: ..c.B.. The Dialogue. Now that Mr and Mrs Average User have won Using the flashmatic system, after you set the guide num· .<;8. the log.in game, they can run their favorite program. They tion of Network Messages' of the user manual and reads: ber,the correct exposure is aUlOmaticaUy calculated as you t 1 TELENET have graduated to the wonderfw world of software where focus. No more fumbling through lengthy calcwations to t 2 415DKI anything can happen. They could, for instance, get the meso The specific host process included as part of the address fmd the proper F/stop: set the mark on the Flstop ring to 3 sage 'DRUM FULL,' after which the terminal will refuse to is not available. the center index. Obtain the proper guide number by 4 TERMINAL-T125 CR do anything. Mr Average User, who didn't even know he Iwd multiplying Flstop number times distance. For example, if • a drum, is extremely impressed. (J recall being introduced to Note that the so-ca ll ed 'explanation' has now unnecessarily ASA 80 film is being used, set the film speed on the calcu· 6 @c6172OcCR a medical researcher in Europe a few months after a tele· added two new sources of confusion, the tenn 'host' and the lator to ASA 80 and check the proper FIstop number at a 7 conference through which we had first 'met'. He was a calm word 'address.' The user has no recourse but to make an ap· distance of 10 feet. 8 Britisher whose first words to me, delivered in a kind but a pointment with a system expert. The expert knows the true 1 9 617 2OC5 CONNECTED meaning of the message: the computer is down! Of such 10 reproachful tone, were, 'You know your message that says In a common practice of software design, the sanle operation 11 'HOST DIED'? Well, wouldn't it be more kind to say 'HOST knowledge expertise is made. Tins is not user science. This is is given different names, depending on the particular sub· 112 BBN·TENEX 1.34.5, BBN-5YSTEM-C EXEC 1.54.12 PASSED AWAY'?') obfuscatology, the science of hiding things away from other system! Here again, better training or a more detailed model 13 @LOGCR people. It reaches a peak with system completion code 2 13 on of the user will not help. What is needed is a thorough e1ean· 14 (USER) CROWN CR Indeed it is in death that computers come closest to imitating the IBM 360. If your program dies with 'COMPLETIO N up of the command language. Under the KRONOS operating 15 (PASSWORD) CR humans. TIle phenomena that accompany their last few sec· CODE 213-04,' you must consult the appropriate man ual system of Control Data Corporation, for example, there is a 16 (ACCOUNT # ) m onds are as sad, emotional and messy as those of their human under IEC 132 I. The system expert who owns the manual command called 'LIST' which produces a listing of a me. 117 JOB 230n TTY 15119·JUL·7613:15 masters. In their bereavement, Mr and Mrs Average Use r will then read the expanded text of the explanation to you: Having obtained a listing, the user might want to edit the 118 PREVIOUS LOG IN : 19.JUL·76 11:03 might well despair of ever findi.ng their computer healthy me. Under the EDITOR command, however, the LIST com· 19 @RUN PROGRAM CR again, as was the case with my friend, Bob Johansen, when The formal IOSCB for tlle data·set cowd not be found on mand becomes invalid . OnJy an expert will be able to teU you 20 he lost a program amidst much typing of strange characters the first volume (or the volume indexed by the volume that the proper command to use now to produce the same 21 WELCOME. (Figure 3). Since he had come to the Institute from a back· sequence number) specified by the DO statement, or an listing of the same file is PRINT. Bul once you get out of the Figure 2. Log·ln Procedure on A Commercial Network. ground in the sociology of religion, he assumed that the 1/0 error occurred reading the P·I DSCB for the data· EDITOR command, naturally, PRINT is no longer recognized! Each t indicates an entire line that is meaningless to system was speaking in tongues. Yet, when he tried to rees· ",I. most usel'5. The underlined portions were typed by the tablish contact, he was told that 'host' was no longer reo We could devote a whole session or a whole conference to such user. sponding. What the message means is simply: 'DATA·SET WAS NOT examples. THERE.' Why didn't they say this in Ihe firsl place? TIle answe r has nothing to do with the computer: this meso For each interaction case, we have record ed three simple sage has exactly the same lengtll as 'COMPLETION CODE quantities: ITO FORUM) 213..()4," and the machine couldn't care less what the mes· .7-0LY'(s? ! ZI I CAMY$tHV80/S81&9SJ38 sage says. a: the number of lines appearing on the terminal before computer/" ~ELLO 322 ., 2 Mr and Mrs Average User see something meaningful; dies /lere @L 69 Is such evidence of deliberate obfuscation limited to our field? On the contrary, it call be found whenever 0 community the number of keystrokes they need to type and LATEST NEWS: 5 NOV HOST NOT RESPONDING of specialists attempts to protect 0 privilege. For example, in the 13th century, a surgeon named Arnold of Villanova reo the number of characters typed by the system having commended to his coliegues to preserve their linguistic dis· no meaning or relevance to their interest. FIGURE 3. Famous Last WordS of a Dying Computer tance under the greatest diagnostic stress: The reader will see in Table I that even on the most exped i· Say that the patient has an obstruction of the liver, and tious network, INFONET, it takes 29 keystrokes to do noth· particularly use the word 'obstnlction' because they do ing. (How would you like to dial 29 digits every time you want The folklore surrounding the little peculiarities and idiosyn · cracies of each system is an amazingly diverse variety of not understand what it means, and it helps greatly that a to call the girl next door? Telephone companies go out of bus· teon is nOI understood by the people, iness over thi.ngs like that. Computer users go out of their colorful tales. Every network has its own way of rejecting you, minds.) On TELENET, it takes 48 strokes to do nothing; but of pulling you into strange traps, of making you wait or repeat one is rewarded with a deluge of messages in reply , ranging what you have just said, of dying. Although such peculiarities from '41S DKI ' to 'JOB 23 on lTYISl' with rather obscure can be fun for the boys and girls in the mac hine room, they Examining current medical literature, Michael Chrichton THE WIDE ANGLE FALLACY meanings, especially if you know what a TTY looks like. have a devastating effect on people who are trying to ge t a job concludes that contemporary physicians are still following (Note that following TERMINAL=, the user replies T1 2S. This done. When the job involves communication and joint effort the rule: they are trying to 'astound ani:! mystify the reader is a code that stands for TI72S!) among groups located all over the Western hemisphere, as our with a dazzling display of knowledge and scientific acumen.' If there was a user SCie nce, its second law could be called the teleconferences sometimes do, the results can be disastrous. He also observes that mpst doctors ignore papers outside Wide Angle Fallacy. When a disgusted user goes back to the Motivating the users again after every failure is a difficult and their own specialities because they can't understand them-. designer with the statement, 'Your system doesn't perfonn frustrating task. When we pe rfonned an analysis of question· Does medicine need a user science? the special function I need,' the designer's ego is deeply af· TELENET TYMNET CYBEANET INFONET naires returned by participants in some early conferences, we fected. To regain the' good graces of his customer - and to 20 10 14 8 found that two factors far outweighed all others in accounting The legal profeSSion, too, follows the obfuscation rule. When I reestablish his or her own self-esteem - the designer is likely "' for their reactions to our system. These two factors were bought my house, I signed a paper which reads: to answer, 'I can fix it. I will add another command for you.' ~ 48 35 46 29 diffiCUlties with terminals and fear ofa network failure. This Deed of Trust applies ,to, inures to the benefit of, Later, the same designer will be seen at conventions, meetings, /}. 116 10 9' 54 THE OBFUSCATION IMPERATIVE and binds all parties hereto, their heirs, legatees, devisees, and workshops, extolling the virtues of his system, the 'power' administrators, executors, successors, and assigns. of which can be measured by the great number of commands TABLE I. Obfuscation Parameters in Four Commen::lal Networks If there were a user science, the Obfuscation Imperative it can execute. I believe this is often a fallacy and that both would constitute its first law. There is a short but interesting Even photographers obfuscate. Witness this extract from the designers and users should recognize it. There is a similar diagnostic on TELENET. It reads: 'SUBPROCESS UNAVAIL- user manual for my modest camera: fallacy in astronomy, related to the size of a telescope. Most 28 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC 29 -- i , novices and many astronomy students believe that you see Attempts to make computer professionals aware of the need is the low priority item in the system. Good reasons, and mOTe in a big telescope than in a little one. The opposite is for these elementary guidelines often end up in frustration. all that, but the feeling in the computer termnal world true, of course. Increasing the diameter of the telescope may They assume that if you raise such a question, you can only is that good excuses are acceptable. which would be rare collect more light, but it narrows the field of view. The ana do so out of either resentment or ignorance. At best, they in a high-competition field. logy with software design is appropriate. The eady versions will send you on your way with an elementary tutorial on of our FORUM conferencing system had dozens of commands, operating systems and a PL/ I manual. TItis attitude was ill Private message from BACH 1.Jul·75 7:18 PM hence a lot of potential 'power', but few users could remember ustrated to us by a recent discussion between Thad Wilson, This system with the enormous potential for communica the whole structure. Careful monitoring of usage pointed to a member of the Institute staff who has used computers for tion, education, entertainment, and intellectual atom ways of simplifying it, and we started looking for opportun 15 years, and the manager of the Northern California facil. swapping is pressurized in a gas more inert than pure ni ities to cut down the list of commands. For the last two years, ity for a leading network company. trogen. So far. I haven't even found somebody who will we have been offering a teleconferencing service which gives sell me a roll of paper for this thing (though I may have a the user a repertory of only six commands. The potential line on one now). Headquarters people say, 'Call the local Wilson: 'Many of our users do not understand why the system user population (which is analogous to the 'field of view' office,' not knowing their offices here are all closed or sometimes suddenly stops and says, 'PLEASE LOG-IN. ' of a telescope) is now much larger. At the same time, we empty answering services. They promised to send me two How are they supposed to understand that? TheY'I'e al· have found that no serious loss in 'power' had been exper ro lls a week ago, which haven't yet arrived. .. I borrowed ready logged ill.' ienced. On the contrary, the new, simpler commands corre two from the repairman, who needs them replaced when spond better to the basic primitives of the interaction we mine ever arrive ....Somehow he is not allowed to sell Manager (trying to confuse Wilson): 'TIley need to log.in are trying to support. them. again because a failure has occured. It could be the node, the supervisor, the host, or the network.' What is true of systems programmers applies equally well to It would be most interesting to analyze user proftles, com· li brarians who think they are expanding the 'power' of an mand usage and interaction patterns when computers begin Wilson (not confused), 'Why don't you simply tell them that index when they add more keywords and more lenns into to be used by writers and communicators of the caliber you're sorry that service will be interrupted for a while?' it. The whole issue of how to support the process of discov of Mr. Bach. But first we must find a way to provide them ery instead of mimicking its side effects lies solidly buried with paper for their tenninals and give them reliable access to Manager: 'You don't realize how long it takes us to change under dozens of documentation systems which our profession systems they can use. This simple prerequisite has not yet been is accumulating as a buffer between the scientist and his data. something. We've been in business a long time. You should met by the computer community. train your users better and give them our manuals.' IF NOT A USER SCIENCE, WHAT THEN? The examples quoted above have attempted to show that Wilson: 'I don't think it's a good idea_ You should change situations frusnating to the nonspecialist user have often the system instead: These observations do not make me feel an urgent need for a been deliberately created to protect a self·styled elite of new science that would study the user's relationship with programmers. A massive effort to rederme the job control computer systems where even the most obvious steps to That actual discussion illustrates a sad point: when we encoun· language (JCl) of IBM, for instance, would free the creativity human interactions have been neglected. I will argue later ter problems with the use of computer systems, we can change of thousands of people and expand the market for many that a real user science exists, but it is not to be found at either the system or the people. What is frightening is that tJle computer services; but at the same time, it would make this level. What we need instead is to follow a few guiding computer industry probably has enough power now to start obsolete a mass of folklore and machine room recipes principles which will place those responsible for a system in a changing people. This network manager has already been that passes for knowledge and creates job security for pro position to anticipate many user frustrations: changed, and he is working hard to change others. TIle pro· grammers throughout the world. The Obfuscation Imperative grammers under him work hard to become like him. To modi· is a clear marketing strategy. Someone trying to understand the relationship of the user to the system has to first realize I) The first principle would be never to start implementing fy the system is too difficult for them to even consider. TIle that the situation is dictated by social, psychological, econo· a system until the end users have been identified and given reasons they give are not technical, but social and bureacu cratic. After all, they 'have been in business long time.' mic and professional constraints. Only when elementary de· easy access to the designers_ a Somebody would have to rewrite all those forms and all those Sign - such as those we have onl y begun to outline here - manuals. have been applied to software interfaces will we be able to 2) The second principle would be to monitor everything, really speak of a genuine science. noting, however, that not all infonnation is quantitative and that one cannot evaluate the potential impact of miss· The social environment and the anecdotes surrounding the ing features. marketing, maintenance, and breakdowns of computer pro· The topics which could be studied as part of a design science ducts should also come under the attention of would-.be user are varied and exciting. They are already found in the investi 3) A third principle would be to release systems to 'real users' scientists. The vast distance between the services delivered by gation of cognitive styles (as in the work of Peter Keen at as soon as their utility is apparent to them. A real user is the computer community and the users it pretends to serve Stanford), the perception of the computer as a confidant or an characterized by the consequences for the user and for was made obvious to us in the course of a computer confer adversary (as in Chris Evans' experiments in England), several the designer if the service is not perfonned, by the fact ence which inciuded as a participant Mr Richard Bach, the artificial intelligence prototypes, mapping, interactive graphics, that the service is funded with money which could be used author of Jonathan Livingstoll Seagull, who lives in Florida. computer·aided instruction and advanced data analysis pack in other ways and which comes from an operational (versus After a period of unusual silence from him, we learned that his ages_ TIlls experience, however, has never been pulled to· research or exploratory) budget and by an ultimate eval· terminal had broken down_ We tried unsuccessfully to put gether into a body of knowledge; it is certainly desirable and uation of the service in tenns of an external outcome. pressure on network and tenninal suppliers to try to help urgent to do so, but it still leaves unanswered the question of him. When contact was reestablished (a week later), he a general user modeL 4) The fourth prinCiple would be never to demand the user gave us some of the details: to type an input that is not relevant to the task at hand In the meantime, I can only concur with William Blake who wrote in Jerusalem (flO_20): and never to give him an output that is outside the task Private message from BACH 1.Jul·75 7:08 PM context. (Our software now tries to intercept aU system Some notes in the quiet here about events dUring the break. I mllst create a system panic messages, replacing them with the statement: 'Sorry, down last week of my terminal. The interesting learning Or be elllilalled by another man's! we are having trouble with the computer.') for me is that an individual with his terminal inoperative o 30 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-OEC 31 -- 9 iomput.... before lril#rilll I hi,lden , .... " .ddn:u .nd only 1M fUlen of adion on ,1>0 !,In of Our Hero al1~ PUiIY to be pl'O'te.-..d from I r.1e: wOrK than intcrminanl &lilch~! With P~rily ubscriptions maintained and laor faulfy coml'lU!ied In lite fi&hl, F·M.n I'unuood the Counl 10 the d.rk, mysterious C.". Alp, and rushH In, rudy 10 ;ompu tm this holiday and for only do blU~ but then r,M.n il Trlppedl C,,,"lt by th. (.Urn, cdSU of I conte,to:> When last we len Ou. Hero, it would apptl' that he IIId lOuen himself inlo • somc",hat less- than·heroic po$illon ... When iMonned thl' Doktor Deb" ... be.utiful dluch'" Parity had flUen into tht .1"ldlu of tile evil Count Algol. Fortnn "fin Immediately wenl oomputc-bound ___ ZIP' _____ to fe$CIIC he, .. , By lucin, ,h. now of th. Coun!'. dec""nlcntw usill.nl, Igor III. File 32 Snltcher, F·Man discovered Ih. ",IOCII«l IQCI' t;O" of llie COIm!", hideout within the greal C<)mplex of Ihe no .... dcserced Von Neumann And with thai • Ihe &real b.nl" bc&iru:1 bIoer worU ... I"d the'" confronted Ihe evil Count! The Count n«l the b.ttle ..• bUI nOI 50lid01] With the interrupt n.,;n pllCC'.th. exil point of the "3511. is suddenly opcn~ ~nd a sin&le. lonl fill'!\' branch •• out.. h,,:ldinl swiftly ___ ZIP ____ across the dati field towards them Subscriptions 32 ___ ZIP _-..,..,__ 35 l ME BUI Ihen, ,"",lid of crumbJin, ;nlO I <;ompile Card Number ______of di ..~mbl~ bits. the triPped fi,ure sudde"ly btpns fadin, .way .. , and v~nishe:s wilh "Iry a tnlce routine' Expira tion Date ______ With nary A wasl«l mOl ion and wilh a &lin! of ,vii in hi. 1101. the Count increments rlpidly toward his foe. ami Ihen suddenly reVerses .. anOlher CALL ""Cion in from Ihe Olherside oflh. room. ~TS Y GIFT BOOKS , ~ for SS.9S plus 95¢ for shipping and dd 35¢ sales tax) per copy. ER YOU HIT RFfURN for $8 (Cali ax) plus SI for handling per copy. folume One for only $13 (California copy. ,et the books in time for the holidays. Is thi> lhe final END for thoe"",! Counl AI&OI~ tlJs the Counl r",ally b~n ICmllnn«l~ The Count is immobil~ . Slunn~ inl0 a Join ul for lhe final ~ptWd~ next bsUf WAIT sial,,! For what he sees before him il not and find out' just ONE Fo".." Man ... but TWO! .. ZIP' ______.. Card No. ______32 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS .. Expiration date ______NOV·DEC 33 Iii unless otherwise specified.) 3X ------SEND A DIFFERENT GIFT FOR THE HOLIDAYS! people's co_pulers before triggering a hidden trap address ... and Give a gift subscription (or two!) to People's only the fastest of action on the part of OUT Hero allowed Parity to be preserved from a fate Computers this holiday season. For only $8 worse than intermittant glitches! With Parity New & Gift Subscriptions maintained and Igor fatally compressed in the you can give a gift that keeps coming all year fight, F-Man pursued the Count to the dark, round. And every issue of People's Computers mysterious Castle Algol, and rushes in, ready to Send a gift subscription to People's Computers this holiday and for only will bring exciting and up to the minute articles, do battle ... but then F·Man is Trapped! Caught $8 give a gift that keeps corning all year round. Mail this fonn today by the falling edges of a concealed gate output, listings, interviews, games, announcements, and his outputs arc held in a low stale, as streams of and well send a gift announcement card in time for the holidays. deadly Disassembly Gas source from a multitude. more. Use the card opposite to order of small, concealed ports at ground level ! subscriptions for yourself and friends. Send in your gift subscriptions immediately and we'll SEND A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO: mail special gift announcement cards in time 1. NAME ______for the holidays. ..._oot .. When last we left OUT Hero. it would appear that he had gotten himsel f into a somewhat less ADDRESS ______than-heroic position . .. When in formed that Doktor Debug's beau tiful daughter Parity had fallen into the clutches of the evil Count Algol, Fortran Man immediately wen t compute-bound CITY/STATE ______ZIP ______to rescue her ... By tracing the flow of the Count's decremented assistant, Igor the File 32 Snatcher, F-Man discovered the relocated loca tion of the Count's hideout within the great 2. NAME ______complex of the now deserted Von Neumann And with that. . the great battle begins! beer works. . and there confronted the evil Count! The Count fled the battle. . but not ADDRESS ______With the interrupt flag in place, the exit point of the castle is suddenly opened ... and a single, long figure branches out ... heading swiftly CITY/STATE ______ZIP ______across the data field towards them. 32 Sign my gift card: ______ ANDBILLME: NAME ______ ADDRESS ______Dr. Dobb's Journal- Volume One Now you can purchase a single bound volume CITY /STA TE ______ZIP __-::--:- ___ containing all ten issues of the first year of 35 Dr. Dobb's Journal, described as "THE soft ware source for microcomputers, Highly o START A SUBSCRIPTION FOR ME recommended," in The Data Bus. Dr. Dobb's But then, instead of crumbling into a compile Visa/BankAmericard Card Number ______of disassembled bits, the trapped figure suddenly Journal contains no paid advertising, and its o begins fading away ... and vanishes with nary a trace routine! primary purpose is "to place significant o Master Charge Expiration Date _____ software into the public domain". $13. With nary a wasted motion and with a glint of ... and the Count steps back in sudden surprise, (Foreign rates available on page 2.) evil in his I/Os, the Count increments rapidly for what he sees behind him is toward his foc ... and then suddenly reverses as another CA LL vectors in from the other side WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU HIT RETURN of the room. or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games A fun gift book of 48 computer games written GIFTS in BASIC - strategies, treks to the stars, sim ulations, graphics, wumpus hunts, and much PLEASE SEND ME THESE HOLIDAY GIFT BOOKS: more. This educational book is "crammed to ~ ____ copies of PCC's Reference Book for $5.95 plus 95¢ for shipping and the margins with interesting tidbits". $8. handling (California residents please add 35¢ sales tax) per copy. ~ ____ copies of WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU HIT RETURN for $8 (Cali P.C.C.'s Reference Book of Personal and fornia residents please add 48¢sales tax) plus $1 for handling per copy. Home Computing An invaluable gift that anyone interested ____ copies of Dr. Dobb's Journal Volume One for only $13 (California in heme computing would appreciate, residents please add 78¢ sales tax) per copy. containing both survey and nuts and bolts Mail this card immediately so you'll get the books in time for the holidays. Is this the final END for the evil Count Algol? articles for the experienced and the no-so BILL AND MAIL TO: Has the Count finally been terminated? experienced user, the complete documented NAME ______Join us for the final episode next issue. source and object code for a 2K Tiny BASIC, and find out! reference material: from bibliographies to lists ADDRESS ______of stores, companies, and hobbyist clubs, and a CITY /ST ATE ZIP ______massive index of articles in ten major hobbyist magazines. 248 pages, $5.95. o Visa/BankAmericard Card No. ______32 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS o Master Charge Expiration date ______NOV-DEC 33 ------..,,~ (All overseas orders will be sent ainnail unless otherwise specified.) 3X Ztll 10 take accwnl o'r 3:: is' ;:; 'li urlaim in • melho- When last ~ ldl Our Ikro.11 would apprar II! he h8d goUen himself inlo a 5OIl1cwhll l Ie ~~ Ihan-heroic posit1on ... Wbe n in fonned II! !.--> Doklor OcbUl1 buutiful d,u&!ltor Pari ly h falkn inlO the clutche$ of Ihe evil Counl AI, sr- Fortran Man immediately went compu t c~ou i to ~so;~ her ... By tra<;ln l Ihe now of t c Count's dec~menttd assistant, Igor Iht F , Snatcher, F-M3n discovered the re localed 10. lion of the COIInt"s hideoul wilhin Iht a:n ~ complex of Ihe now des.rl ed Von Neu ma And Ihat·s nOI .U! For in I m~~cond.Cu tl ~ A,l(! wilh Ihal . Ihe great bailie begins! beft works .•. and Ihe~ confronted Ihe e Alc<>l i. suddenly ovrrnowe<.l wilh Forlnn Men! Count! ~ Count fled Ihe billie ... bu t n r The bUlle "'gel on wilh Iii. t",meooous WII~ Ih. inlerrupt flat in pl~. the exil polnl of sl~n'lh of 1M COI,"I pilled IPlnsi 1 00ullllude Ih. callie IS suddenly optntd. and I sinlJlt. of C"(lInpikr copies' The enllre $ l ru<1u",ofCasll~ lon, nJl'''' bralll'hcs out ... headin, swi flly Aic<>l rnon2tH "ith Ih. c..;illlliofl. or Ih. bal .., .... lhe dill field lowanl. Ihem tle ••. In.d lhe Counl is milch 100 '"Ompute bound 10 nolle(" Ih. 5inlk F·b... lilUre branch.n,. .... y from 1M hlltl. and d!l;lpP<'lri", liP the ,·011 ...... mp 10 1ht upptr ....cis Bu t then. inste8d of crumbitn, inlO I campi Of dioa...,mbled biu. Ihe lrapped fi,u~ suddenl be"os fadin, away ... and ... nishes wilh nal • lrace rouline! Wilh nary a was led mOl ion .l1li wll h • &linl I ...il in his I/O.. Ihe Counl Inc",menlS rapid lowlrd his foe •. Ind Ihen suddenly ",Vtl"li ...no lher CALL ,""cion in from lhe olher si, oflh. room FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO.7 56 MENLO PARK. CA 01 the Count? No tIme 10 p plain !>OW. Ifiendl] H. ', rlthoIr compute· bound right now • .. whidl should , U_ Irlough time lor thI SECOND h' ll 01 my pI .. to , rrw.1 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL And l\efl il comas nowl No Po.tage Stemp Nee ....ry It Melled In the United Stat., POitage will be paId by Is IhlS IIIe linal END (or 1M evil Counl Altol" lb. Ihe Count linolly b«n tennin2led? And befo~ .ny furlh.". convenation can lake pJ:ICC". lhe data r",1d IS li&!l tro rrom on. fikrrutrk Join ... for the finaieptsOde nexl issue 10 Ihe other .. as. areal, IIowin, boll of inter· ",pI eneTJ.Y com...s Allin, O•• r !he Monolilhi, and find 0II1! People's Computer Company Mountains lowards CISII. AIIOI P. O. Box E Menlo Park, CA 94025 32 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC 3J A LOOK AT MICRO-COMPUTING AS IF PEOPLE MATTERED The list of current and prospective ap technology. If, on the other hand, what jectives, and in Small is Beautiful and plications of rnicro-computers that the we do has no effect, then we might as TecIJnology and Political alange, he average person is likely to meet is by now well sit back to enjoy the show and identifies the scale of the technology as familiar: amuse ourselves with our new toys. the most important factor in determining ~-J,;~ 1~~~~~qj ...... ®"1~""=-I its social consequences. In general, many ,": ",'. present technologies are so massive that ~an~\ +, I • micros in stores and banks - for auto We shape our lools; mated check~ut and electronic funds thereafter they shape us. the overall effect for people is that they ~~=nJ-(:!!;~l-r-'-~ transfer MarsIJall McLulum suffer, rather than benefit, from their use. / ' / • micros in the living room - for elec· Sm31ler, more human-scaled enterprises / tronic games, and other entertainment, In the early stages of the development of are needed in the fonnation of a more possibly shopping and voting as well a tool or technology people decide what humane society. J't"J'lL will""" b< "'''Ong • micros in the kitchen for controlling shape it is actually to take. Often people mCC'ro·armp~ tVvt'cf5 tmyufltrr. ovens and other appliances even deliberately meet to discuss and Schumacher suggests four criteria with • micros in our cars and other vehicles decide. After that it is we who get shaped which to judge technolOgies and serve to ~r.~( • micros in hospitals and doctors' offices by having to confornl to the requirements guide their development. These criteria • micros in schools for teaching children of the tool. At the same time it develops are: ~t[J{2 smoll • micros at work for word processing a momentum that is very difficult to • simple systems; process control and tele change later on even if the results are not • capital saving communications totally satisfactory. At the moment • non-violent • micros attached to our phones micro-computing devices are still crude • IF 'SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL' and many of the details not worked out; Technologies which satisfy these cri • micros at art galleries and musical perfonnances the manufacturing and marketing systems teria will be much more likely to be good • micros everywhere? not fully developed; patterns of use have for us. IS MICRO MARVELOUS? not been firmly established; the myths BY ANDREW CLEMENT Even if not all of these applications come that apply to conventional computers At first appearances it would seem that this new micro-computer technology ILLUSTRATIONS BY RENNIE WISWELL about, micro~omputing devices wiJI enter will no longer be accepted but replace and affect our activities of purchasing, ments have not yet taken hold; legis based on Large Scale Integration does recreation, entertainment, creative ex· lative regulations await formulation. In satisfy many of Schumacher's criteria and 17lis anicie ;s a substantially revised ver· INTRODUCTION Hindsight is of course close 10 20·20 pression, health, employment, transporta· many areas the teclmology and related so could have the potential to provide us sian of Q paper Andrew presented at the while the future is usually pretty murky. tion and communication. This increasing structures have not solidified and al· with tools of great service. These criteria FinJ West Coast Computer Faire last There is no question that advanced tech However, to the extent that we can anti penetration is happening quickly, and though to a large extent the future fonns are not really new and in fact are based April. The original venton appears in the nologies have had a profound effect on cipate social impact of a technology as though not inevitable, there are strong have already been determined by pre heavily on common-sense notions of what Fain! s Proceedings, availDble from The modem society. Every person and every potent and complex as micro-computing, forces that will keep it going. In short, vailing social forces, there is still a short makes something friend1y and easy to Computer FaiT(!. Box 1579, Palo Alto. institution has been touched in even the it would seem advisable to explore its a new and unique technology will have time to influence the course of develop get along with. Everyone has had reo CA. 94302 ($12.68 including postage most intimate ways by the sophisticated implications and try to chart a course become part of everyday life for a large ment. To do this positively and effec· warding experiences with tools or institu and I"mdling; $13.40 in California). tools that abound in our society. We have that gives us that maximum benefit over segment of the urban population. It tively requires a proper understanding of tions and I am sure that they would often been spectacularly successful in trans· the long run. promises convenience, efficiency and new the technology and what it has to offer. fmd that these criteria were underlying TI,e article's tide draws on the late E.F. lating an understanding of Man and his capabilities. the success of the encounter. Conversely, Schumacher's book SmaJ] is Beautiful, environment into tools that serve many SCHUMACHER'S FOUR CRITERJA unsatisfactory experiences with techno which examines how technology shapes of our needs. We have clearly benefited Micro-computers have not yet begun to The danger in 311 this is that the benefits logy can often be traced back to it being IOc;ery. He identifies smallness, simplicity. greatly and now enjoy freedoms and affect many people's lives directly but will not be available to everyone equally Two contemporary authors have made huge, complicated, expensive, or violent. CDpl/ol cheapness and non·violence as powers that few have had before us. there is good reason to believe that in the and that the price paid in the long run significant contributions to the under By themselves these criteria are not com· being imporrant criteria in identifying foreseeable future their impact will be will be a loss of effective control over the standing of what we should expect from plete and do not guarantee that the ef technologies which will further the de But we have paid a high price for the great. We are witnessing at the present important processes of life. Machines that our technolOgies, and their manifestation fects of a technology. will be humane, velopment of an humone society. The rewards of technical mastery fo r we are time the rapid emergence of the com· people do not understand and feel no as tools, in order that they serve us best. but they do provide a useful starting point. article eXllmines the field of microcom 31 so reaping a harvest of negative and puter from within the confines of large part of will cut them off from their en· Ivan Uli ch, writing in Tools for Con puting in light of Schumacher's four hannful side-effects. We are seriously institutional settings and into the view of vironment and from each other. viviality, calls for tools ''which give each Small. People tend to get overwhelmed criteTIiz. depleting our vital, non-renewable reo the gener31 public. Until now most people person who uses them the greatest op when they have to approach and deal sources; we arc drastic31ly disrupting the have not re31ly seen a computer or had to The realization that micro-computers are portunity to enrich the environment with . with things that are much larger than 11,e paper was written in connection with natur31 systems that support life on this deal with one directly. Rather they have going to have a major and potentially the fruits of his or her vision." (page 22), themselves. Big things, whether they are a survey of "humane computing" under planet; and we have broken so many trad learned of them by report and communi hannful impact on our society is not, by tools "which foster self-realization", rocks, or ships; companies or govern a grant from the Canada Council. Andrew itional social bonds that now many of us cation with them has been via the mail itself, sufficient reason to become ac· (page 25) tools that promote self-reliance, ments are generally harder to manage, invites you to contribute experiences and! stand alone, afraid, and alienated. All of and through a bureaucracy. Computer tively concerned in trying to affect their autonomy and harmony between our less flexible, and more resistant to inno or thoughts to the survey: write to him this has happened largely unintentionally, hardware first came into public view in development. We need confidence that selves and with nature. For this to hap vation than smaller things. When big at 789 West 18th Avenue, Vancouver merely as part of the sincere pursuit of the fonn of tennin31s for airline reser· the technology is somewhat flexible, that pen, he says, it is essenti31 that control things go wrong they tend to go really B.C, O1nada V5Z JWI. a better life. These ill-effects are usually vation systems, but now they are highly it can be changed to some degree, and of the tools lie with the individu31s wrong. Good examples of this are large unforeseen and often come well after the visible in many banks and other insti further that these changes will be reflect and organizations they are intended to oil tankers and New York City's electrical enjoyment of the initial benefits. tutions. ed back on the society that uses the serve. E.F. Schumacher has similar ob· power system. It is clear that the physical 34 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·OEC 35 size of micro~omputers is small. They and installations. What this means for when it comes to the design and manu ment. Excessive and narrow use of com can be put on your desk, can be carried instance, is that if you want a chip that facture of hardware, particularly inte puters seems to promote mechanistic around, taken over to a friends' house, the semkonductor manufacturers don't grated circuits, A highly advanced and thinking and de-personaJization which re the whole thing can be seen and be have available, there isn't very much that sophisticated technology is involved, present, and result in, forms of violence grasped at one time. This is an impor can be done unless you have a lot of requiring machines of gre:l! preCision and that, though not overt, are nevertheless tant departure from the conventional money. It is very difficult for them to personnel of rare expertise. With the re significant. Further investigation of this view of computen as large, complicated accomodate to small requests and you liance on experts goes a loss in conlrol social and psychological violence is vitally and somewhat feanome devices, de· can't go off and do it yourself. You are and freedom, resulting in a situation akin necessary if large numbers of people are manding big buiJdings to house them, almost completely dependent on them. to that with the automobile. Most people going to come in regular contact with special air conditioning to keep them cool, Programmable Read Only Memories can drive one, put in gas, change tires computen. phalanxes of experts to care for them, (PROMS) are an important step towards and sparkplugs, but when it comes to and layen of bureaucrats to feed and independence in certain areas. repairs we leave our mobility (and pocket OTHER FACTORS protect them. books) in the hands of trained auto-me On the software end, small grou~ appear chanics. The prospect of actually making Besides Schumacher's four criteria a num But considerations of size apply not only 10 be able to operate efficiently, perhaps our own vehicle or modifying an exist ing ber of other important facto rs should be to the actual hardware that the user sees more efficiently than amlies of program one is simply out of the question for all ever, by the time the extra memory, sation by being able to enjoy other considered when examining micro-com but also to the back-up technology and mers even with very large programming but a small fraction of the population - peripheral storage and other goodies peoples' work at a low cost. If this system puting's potential to serve as a humane institutions required to make effective tasks. However, when it comes to market it's just too complicated. TIle present have been added to make an interesting is to flourish though, the software must teclUlology in our society, use of lile tools. In many of these res· ing a hardware/software combination, situation with micro~omplilers is sub system the cost has risen to several be very reliable, well documented and pects the "smallness" of micro~omputers size may be a considerable asset in order stantially worse, with the consequence thousand donan, making it a substantial widely accessible. Publication of software Fun. Micro~omputen are fun! Lots of remains intact. to enjoy economies of scale and as a that at least ill the foreseeable future investment and thus out of the range of in periodicals such as People's Computers people, children of all ages, enjoy playing protection against competition. their popular use will center mainly around most individuaJs and small organizations. is a good example of this process in ac with them. Computers are not just serious Manufacture and marketing of most of the purchase of plug-in modules, Most With further refmements of technique tion at a level of amateur computing. The business! They have the potential to be the hardware components can be done Simple. Simplicity is another virtue, not people will depend on outside hardware and the development of mass markets, alternative seems to be st iff copyright come great mind toys since they are so with relatively small fimls and without necessarily related to size, but sharing and software suppliers and not be able this will probably remain the case for regulations maintaining high costs for all nexible and can be adapted 10 represent huge factories and machines. In fact, with "smallness" the tendency to pro to rely on tJlemselves or others in their only a few more years, at least in North but the most widely used packages. such II wide variety of situations (see Ted many of the products available to com mote autonomous control and self vicinity. Only professionals and avid America. This contrasts sharply with con Nelson's Computer Lib/Dream Macllj1les), puter amateurs have been introduced by reliance. If a technology or tool is simple amateurs will be able to understand and ventional computer equipment, which is Non·violent. It is very important that a They are such good toys, in fact, that small groups of individuals operating then it is much easier for people to under· change what is going on. For the most enonnously expensive in comparison, and technology that is to find widespread use some people get so rascinated and turned out of "garages". This reflects both the stand it, to use it and modify it for their part the guts of our major machines will thus only available to already wealthy or not hann people nor damage our natural on to the world they are creating and ex relative newness of the field (there hasn't purposes, to fix it when it goes wrong, in continue to be ge nerally out of bounds, ganizations. At the manufacturing end it environment. In a direct sense this is cer· ploring in the machine, that the outside been enough time for companies to grow short to control it rather than be control· appean that great investments of capital tainly true ofmicro~omputer technology. world gets lost. For this reason, excessive really large) and also characteristics of led by it. Unfortunately micro~omputen CapilaJ saving. The criteria of capital are not required except in connection The greatest physical danger to an average exposure to computen should not be the technology and the particwar way in are simple only in a few, reslricted as· saving means more than just that the with the production and marketing of user is having one drop on his toe or getting allowed to drive out other more physical which it has developed. A good illustra peets, Most people do not have a great products are cheap but applies to all of integrated circuits. Here, expensive and an electric shock. Environmentally, no as and social fonns of play, particularly in tion of this is found in the "bus" struc deal of trouble using computer equip the financial aspects of a technology. sophisticated equipment is needed. The pect of computer technology, even with the case of children, Nevertheless the ture that underlies many current micro ment. Small children appear to fiJld it nle capital requirements are clearly Canadian Government recently lost $50 universal application, consumes much in pleasure that can be obtained from micro computing devices. A "bus" structure is simple enough and although harder to related to the size and complexity of a milJion in an unsuccessful attempt to the way of natural resources, demands computer technology is an inlportant part not only an excellent way to organize use than most popular appliances (e.g. technology. Like size and complexity, set up its own semi~onductor industry. large amounts of energy. nor produces ap in making it friendly and socially desirable. but has important consequences in other telephone, oven, etc.) it is certainly much capital requirements have an important preciable polJution, We can say generally areas. The emergence of the "Altair" easier than an automobile, once some influence on Ihe technology's control and Software, to bring the newly inexpensive that computers "walk lightly on theearth". Breakdown of fear and misunderstanding. or 5-100 bus as a de-facto standard has basic skills and concepts have been mas accessibility. Again it is useful to distin hardware to life, has not enjoyed the same Less directly however, microcomputers TIle widespread use of micro-computers resulted from, and mOTe imponantly, tered, The same goes for the assembly of guish between the hardware and software radical drop in price, mainly because it can lead to enonnous physical violence in everyday home and' school environ allows, small enterprises to create special equipment from kits and the composing aspects and the consumer and production is a knowledge and labor intensive process since they play an essential role in some of ments will hopefully have the effect that products that can plug into it. Of course of simple programs. However, when in ends of micro-computer technology. and not susceptible to easy automation. our most destructive and fearsome wea people will gain a much better under this has depended on the fact that there is volvement goes beyond this level, things To produce high-quality software does pons - notably the "cruise missile" and standing of computers, This will tend to no restriction preventing anyone from become much more complicated, The Perhaps the most dramatic and publicized not require lots of money to start with other "smart bombs", Micro~omputing is lessen the fear of computen based on doing this. It is not hard to imagine that analysis, des.ign, and programming of feature of the "ll1jcro~omputer revolu but does take a great deal of time and like other communications technologies in ignorance and provide a finner basis for a really large manufacturer (mentioning major systems requires specialized skills tion" is the drastic drop in price of hard care, making the ultimate cost fairly high. that its effects are usually not directly the real, justified fears and thus enable no names) would either not use such an and experience. TItere do not seem to be ware components. This plunge in cost is The purchase price can be kept down if physical. For instance, the violence that people to deal more effectively with the easily copied and exploited technique or programming languages and techniques probably the most important factor con the software is general and reliable enough results from television is not due to its technology. It could make it much harder would fmd artificial means to prevent presently available that allow us to do tributing to the rise of popular computing to be attractive to a large number of users. physical characteristics but rather to for large organizations to hide behind such "abuse" and preserve its monopoly. this sort of thing fairly easily. This is and the trend shows every sign of contin One way to do this is through software the indirect effects on its viewers over a their machines and abuse people by in· due no doubt in part to the inherent uing. Small hobby systems are now avail exchanges where software can be distri· period of time. With micro~omputing, the sisting they confonn to the expectations It is a little ironic, but the smallest part complexity of the process but also be· able for a few hundred dolJan, which is buted cheaply. The producer would not violence comes from the ways in which it of the computer. People will learn that it of the hardware, the integrated circuits, cause we are still in the infancy of our in the order of domestic appliances and stand to earn a great deal of money but affects how people see themselves and how is not the machinery that is mainly res appear to require the largest enterprises understanding. The problem is even worse within the reach of many people, How- would presumably receive some compen- they relate to others and their environ· ponsible. However, there is a danger that 36 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 37 .. the understanding may only be super then power will be further consolidated still have a long way to go before most r homes. If home computers catch on, the like any other high technology hobby. Follow Schumacher's four principles. The ficial and that the loss of fear resulting in the hands of the massive interests that people find micro-computers to be market would be enormous and so major "Computer hobbyism" is simply the thin; criteria of smallness, Simplicity, capital from familiarity may work against people. already dominate society. friendly, useful and easy to get along with. manufacturers will be watching closely leading edge of the much larger field of saving, and non-violence serve as a useful Instead, what could happen is that this to see what happens to get an idea of "home and persona1 computing". The guide in developing both hardware and simply paves the way for easier penetra Crude, not powerful. Cheap, general pur· Exclusiveness. Micro-computing is much what will sell. Behavior patterns, in terms challenge to the amateurs and other pio software systems. In creating new hard tion and acceptance of the more question pose micro-computing systems are still in more accessible to average people than of purchase and use of micro-computer neen in this field is to accept a share of ware components other people with sim able aspects of computer technology, their infancy and are as yet fairly crude conventional computing, but still has in systems will establish trends that will the responsibility and work actively to ilar needs will benefit most if the design such as Electronic Funds Transfer and and lacking in significant power. 11tis is some ways the same exclusive "cult" continue for some time. Hopefully high ensure that the micro-computing for is kept simple and inexpensive. With soft other large-scale databank systems. particwarly true of the way in which feeling about it. For example, informal standards will be set during this early home and personal use grows in humane ware development, concentration on high people have to interact with micros. observation reveals that the overwhelming period when the market is still fanning. and positive directions. quality, weU-documented, and transport Redistribution of computing power. The The graphic quality of output, based as majority of active participants are male. If people insist on quality systems that able programs, though quite difficwt to ability to process information quickly it usually is on a stark, single upper-case Why is it that more women are not in are reasonably powerful and self-con· achieve in practice, will likewise result in and cheaply is an important component type font of poor definition is often volved? Is it because machines are inher· tained, that give the user flexibility WHAT TO DO widest benefit. Programs should treat in the exercise of power in present soci much lower than we are accustomed to in ently more interesting to men than wo and choice to implement interesting, con users well by being polite, by providing ety. Until now the mechanisms for doing other areas. Tros doesn't have to be the men? Perhaps women receive cues that structive applications, then the result will If the argument has been accepted so far, learning aids, good error handling and this have rested almost exclusively in the case. Input to computers is almost a1. they are not wanted in the area? The sim be quite different than if people tolerate the question now is: "What does one do clean interfaces. Increasing the sophisti hands of large institutions while indivi· ways through keyboards with very little ple fact that it is already so male-domin the introduction of crude pre-packaged about it all?" To answer this question cation of programs in this way may require duals and small organizations have been use being made of devices such as light ated may be sufficient to intimidate many systems of narrow imagination and use directly is very difficult so what I have considerable extra effort and contradict pretty well left out. The wide-spread pens, joy sticks and "mice", which, in women from participating actively. fulness into their homes. here are some suggestions for things that to some degree the aim for simplicity, availability of small, yet reasonably pow many cases, are more appropriate and can be tried, rather than "answers". The though imaginative approaches are often erful computers could aller this signifi· easier to operale. Programming languages The sources of discrimination and exclu The second reason that computer ama suggestions are tentative and sketchy, able to overcome dilemmas of this nature. cantly and help shift real power> along with which we communicate with the sion are probably deep-seated in our cul teurs can influence the evolution of micro· at best, but should provide a good If a program is worthy of the attention of with computing power, toward smaller machine are also often primitive. Seldom ture and so cannot be removed quick1y. computer technology is that they have starting point. other people, software exchanges and social units. It is important to realize do they offer convenient aids in learning However, there are some fairly obvious the tinle and freedom to explore inter publications like People's Compuren are that computing power is not real power. them, are usually intolerant of any "mis mechanisms that can be seen at work and esting avenues of approach. Many ama Research and discu.w;ion. One obvious a good way of making it available to them You must already have some of your own take", rudely insisting thai they be ad dealt with. One of the clearest is the teurs have tremendous technica1 expertise step is to find out more about the whole cheaply. power before a computer can increase it. dressed in strict and peculiar ways, and way that jargon is used. Any advanced that can be applied to a wide range of area of computing and its social impli For a shift to take place not only would they do not easily admit to modification technology needs specialized language in applications. They are not bound by cations. Two books that can help in this the computing power have to be acces· to correct their annoying features. 1n which to express the notions that are pe having to make money from the end pro· area are Computer Power and Human Build on existing cooperative and sharing sible but also the expertise and raw in fact, a computer usually has to be treated culiar to it. However, at the same time, duct so they can try many approaches be· Reason: From Jlldgmellt to CalculiJtion enterprises. The social and organizational formation needed to go with it. It is not rather like a spoiled child from whom any and quite unconsciously, it also serves to fore achieving a really significant result. by Joseph Weizenbaum and The Conquest settings in which micro-computer techno clear that the large organizations whose desired, out-of-the-ordinary behavior can exclude those who are not initiated into For instance, an amateur computerist 0/ Will: /n/omuItion Processing Human logy is developed and used will define strength wowd suffer as a result wowd be be obtained only by those who are very the circle and reinforces membership for could enjoy spending a great deal of time A//airs by Abbe Mowshowitz. Discussions precedents of some lasting effect. If the willing to relinquish their control over familiar with the brat or who love it as those already in. Deliberate avoidance of collaborating with a musician on a music with others will also serve to expand the work is done in an environment of relaxed these as well as the other vital compo· a mother and are therefore blind to its unnecessary jargon and careful explana system before cOming up with a version base of knowledge and rerUle viewpoints. and open exchange of information by nents of power. In fact, if a multitude of shortcomings. Th.is is not to say that tions for novices will do much to broaden that was truly exciting. It could then Try to keep a broad view of one's activi people in small local groups that are in mic[o-computing devices act mainly as there have been no important achieve· participation in this important field. be made available to many others at very ties so that technical considerations are close communication with each other, peripherals in a highly centralized system, ments, for clearly there have been, but we little cost. In other words, computer ama balanced by human concerns; so that then the results are likely to be more THE CHALLENGE teurs represent an important pool of in people don't get lost in all the bits, bytes, humane than if it is done in a competi expensive research talent and possibilities. and bauds. tive and secretive atmosphere. Computer It is hopefully clear from what has pre clubs, wroch are sprouting up everywhere, ceded, that micro-computer technology, One consequence of the influential role Legislative action. It has often been ob are good starting points because they pro though suffering from some major draw computer amateurs occupy at the present served that the law lags far behind techno vide an opportunity foi people living in backs, has a number of positive features moment is that they have a social respon logical innovation. Th.is is certainly true the same area to get together to share to recommend it for wide-spread, human sibility to others to use their position for legislative changes required by the experiences, exchange ideas, software and scale use in society. How the technology wisely. 1ltis responsibility comes from increased use of computing devices, parti· the like. Qub newsletters are a valuable is shaped now, in the critical period of the fact that the actions of computer cularly in such areas as individual rights means for keeping members in touch with ilS infancy, will have long-term conse amateurs cowd have a significant effect to privacy and access to infonnation, the each other, and trading them between quences. One group of people who will on other people's lives and is independent setting of industry standards, and the in clubs expands the communications net influence the course of development and of whether they actually choose to ac· corporation of regulatory bodies. Com work even further. Computer amateurs who are in a pOsition to exercise some knowledge the responsibility. Th.is is one puter amateurs have a special role to play have of course their own novel communi· choice over its direction are the computer of the reasons that the tenn "home and in legislative action because they can cations media at hand and so direct com amateurs. There are two main reasons personal computing" is more appropriate speak as independent citizens but with a puter-to-computer link·ups may prove why this is so. The primary reason is that than "computer hobbyism" for what solid technical foundation. When acting useful and at least interesting. (see the computer amateun are the first major computer amateurs do, even though in groups they are in a good position to articles on personal computer networks many regard it as a hobby. Because it has evaluate and comment on legislative pro· in the July-August and September-October "i(.~ ... ~ 'Tn group in the general popwation to have significant computing devices in their major social consequences it is not just posals. issues of People's Computers). 38 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC 39 ... - Work with non-computer people. A very be able to communicate with the machine Bookkeeping. Small businesses, theatre Information/Communication. Many small Felsenstein's "Cruncher") that will ron important step is for non-computer people in a language that is natural to use and groups, farmers all need to do a certain organizations have ming systems that on portable micro-computers. to be involved with the development of which can express the notions peculi:n 10 amount of bookkeeping and often have would be greatly improved through auto· the particular application. To start with neither the time nor inclination to do it micro-computer technology. By ncn-com matlon, if it was sufficiently cheap. Not puter people I mean those whose main the computer person will probably act as themselves nor the money 10 hire some· only would the routine up-dating chores This quick rundown of suggested appli. motivation is to do something particular, a go·between but in many cases the lack one else. A simple and cheap micro-com· be much easier, but wider access to the cations is quite incomplete and unspecific, such as draw a picture, make music, or of immediacy will be unsatisfactory and a puter based accounting system may be information in the flies would be facili· (for more see Ted Lau's "A Catalog of organize and share information. Such special language for direct communica· just what they need. In Canada, the gov· tated. Richly cross·indexed directories Uberaling Home Computer Concepts." people look upon a computer as simply tion will have to be implemented on the emment provides an inexpensive nation· and catalogues could be produced quickJy BYTE - May 1977) but it does give an one of perhaps several tools for accomp machine. This too can be expected to wide accounting service to farmers. and more frequently. Mailing lists, in idea of some of the things that an indivi· lishing their objective. Computer people take much time and effort. In short then, There is no reason why this sort of thing particular, are a prime candidate for this dual or group with time, energy, and a on the other hand (to take an extreme the message to the concerned computer cannot be done on a local basis with a type of applicat ion of micro-computers. small computer on their hands could view), look for things they can use their person is to ge t involved with individuals small computer. Exciting possibilities open up when sys· fruitfully undertake. They all represent computers on. They love their machines or small groups (artists, musicians, writers, terns of this kind are set up that allow promising steps in the development to· and the actual process of using them, teachers, business people, cooperatives) direct access by a whole community of ward a humane and powerful technology. rather than the end product. As a conse that one supports, and work with them on Aids for the handicapped. Handicapped users. People can not only get out pre· quence these two groups have very dif mutually rewarding projects. The going people, particularly those who are blind viously stored information but put their ferent approaches. The computer person won't be easy but it will certainly be sti· or deaf, need to have sensory information own in as we ll . The system thus serves CONCLUSION can explore wild and fantastic uses and mulating and contribute valuab ly to the converted to a different form before it as a memory and communications medium show what the machlne can do. Their future positive and beneficial use of com· can be perceived. A small microprocessor for the community. In fact, the first two vision is limited by what they perceive puters. unit could be very appropriate. Also prototypes were known as "Community To return to the question posed originally, to be the bounds imposed by the machine. handicapped people who cannot use the Memory". The original one operated in "If small is beautiful, is micro marvel· Non-computer people will bring them telephone in the convemional manner the San Francisco area and was later ous?", the answer must be: back to earth and supply interesting ideas Suggested applications. Hand·in·hand with would benefit gready from a scheme for "cloned" to Vancouver with the help of that go off in quite different directions these non-computer people there are a computer communication. Deaf people the author. Both versions used large time· Now? "No!", and which push hard on the limits of number of promising applications that fall into this category, as do those suf sharing computers and work is now under what the technology is capable of. The are worthy of attention. Some are con· fering from diseases such as cerebral way on a stripped down verion (Lee But perhaps "Yes!", if we make it so. results of the interaction of these two ventional applications that can be adapted palsy. fo rces should be excitement and conflict. to a smaller scale , while others are fairly Such interaction will no doubt be diffi· innovative. Many have already been tried cult at times but is quite vital to the health in one form or another, with varying de· Art. The potential for application of small BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES Abbe Mo'Mhowitz, The COnqUBSt of Will: of micro-computing. Growth by incorpor· grees of success. It should be pointed out computers in the arts is very broad. Inform'tion Processing in Human Afflliff, ating a variety of perspectives is essential that applications are not, by themselves, Computer·based "music boxes", anima· Addison Wesley, Reading, Mass., 1976. These are some of the books and article. that "humane". They have also to be judged tion, stage.lighting. sound synthesis, gra· to avoid repeating the mistakes of conven· rellte to the subject of the social IlIlevance TId NII.on, Computer Lib/DrelllT/ Mschinss, tional computing that have resulted from in the context of their actual use. Any phics, poetry have all enjoyed a measure of micr 40 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·OEC 41 .. - COMPUTER CAREERS: PLANNING, PREREQUISITES. POTENTIAL by John Maniotes and James S. Quasney REf/JEWS Ha yden, 1974. 180 p., $4.95. This is an excellent book, and should prove invaluable to any one planning a computer career and also to high school and college counselors: teachers of mathematics, science and bus· iness courses; librarians; parents; and anyone else interested in the computer revolution. Unlike some books on computers, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS OF Ccmputer Careers outlines not only the opportunities in the THE FIRST WEST COAST COMPUTER F AIRE field but the problems and pitfalls as well. COMPUTER RAGE Computer Faire, Box 1579, Palo Alto CA 94302 a board game from Creative Computing 1977, 334 PP. $ 12 .68 (SI3.40 for Californians) THE ART OF Olapter I provides an overview of the career opportunities in PO Box 789·M, Morristown, NJ 07960, $8.95 SNARING computing. The authors point out that the number of pro Wh at can you say about a book with onc hundred authors? fessional programmers is expected to increase from 200,000 Computer Rage is a simple race game couched in computer Just this - some of it is good, some of it is not, but it is morc D ! in 1972 to 400,000 by 1980. They also note that women have lingo. Its essence can be described in one word - Luck. good than not. With a book like this I can', make any hard and i excellent career opportunities in computer·related fields, fast recommendations. What any onc person will find good even al the highest salary levels, but caution the reader that The parts of the game are: a board with a long. simplistic, and bad about this book depends a lot on what he or she is in the rewards are not obtained without sacrifice, hard work. colorful flowchart on it: a deck of thirty-eight Interrupt cards; terested in, the infannalion they are looking for, and how and advanced education. four sets of three colored pieces ('programs'); and three 'bina much they know. I do think almost everyone will find some ry' dice. A binary die has a zero on three sides and a one on thing of interest in it. Find someone with a copy and take a Chapter 2 explains briefly what computers do. what their the other three sides. look. It might be just the thing you need. major components are, and what a computer program is. This chapter also contains one of the very few errors in the book; The object of the game is to get all three of your pieces from Reviewed by Eryk Vershen. on page 27, a Burroughs alphanumeric display is incorrectJy the input symbols of the board to the output symbols before A DRAGON HUNTER'S BOX identified in a photograph as a CRT. anyone else. There are. of course, hazards. You can land on a by H. A. Cohen square containing an interrupt symbol and draw a bad inter Available for $10.00 (U.S.) from Hanging Lake Books, POB Chapter 3 discusses the categories and job titles commonly rupt card; or the dice might give you a long path at a decision 157, Warrandyte, Victoria 3083, Australia; allow 10 weeks for used in computer-related jobs, but the reader is warned that point. delivery. job titles currently in use are often confusing and misleading. MICROCOMPlITER TRQUBLESHOOTlNG MANUAL Job categories are further defined in Appendix F. Basic ed· At two places on the board (after the input section and before by Micro-Info Associates This is actually a box about the size of a small book containing ucational requirements and salary ranges are given for various the output section) there are a pair of paths called ·channels'. Micro-Info Associates, Castroville, CA 95012, 20 pp., $5.00 about 75 unbound pages of hand lettered text and delightful jobs. Only one piece can be in one channel at a time. This creates drawings illustrating the 'dragons'. Dragons in this box are the tactic of 'blocking a channel pair'. The tactic can give the Along with the rapid proliferation of hobbyist-owned home puzzles that require careful use of high school applied mathe Educational requirements and how to meet them are covered first players (in a four player game) an advantage. computer systems has arisen an increasing need fo r a concise matics in their solution. Each dragon is presented as an imag in considerable detail in Chapter 4. The book emphasizes the general troubleshooting guide for the technical beginner. Un inative miniproject together with hints on their solution. fact that the reqUirements for a career in computer science We tried oul the game with 4 players. Initially there were fortunately the Microcomputer Troubleshooting Guide is not are quite different from those for an EOP-related career, and problems in remembering which order to read the dice (red - that book. It does. however, serve as a fairly decent outline of Some of the projects succeed remarkably weB in being chal typical curricula for both are outlined in Appendices G, H, blue - green) in part because no reminder was printed on the what such a book should include. There are indications of lenging and result in intriguing hunts. Unfortunately the pre and !. board. The board, playing tokens, and dice are al l multi things to check when problems are encountered - CPU clock, sentation occasionally becomes unnecessarily ornate and ar colored and it was sometimes hard to locate the dice in the I/O, power supply, etc. - but very little on the necessary pro cane rather than imaginative. Further, the actual number of Some practical ways of financing a computer·EOP education profusion of shapes and colors. cedures. Nor is there any mention of systematic diagnostic projects (about 30) is relatively small and one is left wishing are suggested in Chapter 5, including tips on obtaining scholar· procedures for isolating a problem. the author could have provided more. Though attractively ships and student loans. Comments about Ihe game varied. The only 'computer' ele presented, the lack of a binding or at least a page numbering ment of the game that was commented on was the need for The most useful function of this manual has been to point up scheme, means a reader tackling the box for the first time Chapter 6 deals with the techniques of job hunting. This chap learning binary notation to facilitate reading the dice. Said what is needed by its own fail ure to provide it. A good may not, for example, find the introduction until (s)he is ter alone would be well worth the price of the book. He re the loser Bill 'No challenge.' Said loser Margo 'The game needs 1 troubleshooting guide should first provide diagnostic steps for half way through the problems, an annoying confusion. authors map out a detailed strategy for finding a computer· more variables - I think you should be able to build hotels. isolating a problem as far as this can be done before just related job, beginning with the theory and practice of writing But then I'm a builder, not a computer person.' Said winner jumping in with test equipment. It should then provide infor These criticisms aside, the dragons should provide fun for a resume. As stated in the book, few job seekers appreciate lisa (age 12) 'It was a good game - the right combination of mation on how to use that test equipment as specifically ap those who enjoy tackling mathematical puzzles. the imporlance of a good resume. A resume is perhaps the luck and strategy. I liked it, but it was basically just rolling plied to microcomputers. Guidelines for memory testing most important single document any of us will ever write, dice and moving piece), not very different from other board should take up a large portion of any repair manual-especially Reviewed by Les Cotrell. with the possible exception of a last will and testament. Pre· games. And I think it should cost $3 to S3.S0, not S9.' software guidelines for memory test programs. paration for job interviews and aptitude tests is also covered. Reviewed by Utter Chaos and friends. o Another vital feature, especially for the amateur, would be Professionalism is discussed in Chapter 7, and a comprehensive clear instructions on how to recognize when he is in over his directory of computer-EOP schools is provided in Chapter 8. head. A liberal use of diagrams and examples would help a A wealth of supplemental information is presented in the ap· great deal. The definitive troubleshooting guide for microcom pendices, and each chapter includes a list of books and articles puters has, sadly, yet to be wri tten. for additional reading. Reviewed by Tom Williams. Reviewed by Jim Day. NOV·DEC 43 42 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS ~~~~~~~~ ************************* DATA HANDLER Sample Program The following program illustrates multiplication by successive addition. It is an answer to the exercise posed in the Data WAKTBD Handler article on page 12. BIOFEEDBACK & PROG RAM FOR MULTIPLICATION BY SUCCESSIVE ADDITION LABE L LOC INST COMMENTS MICROCOMPUTERS FCOO A2 Load X register with FCOl First number. GO FC02 AD LDA ~~ ~. FCOO 50 ••• FC04 FC FC05 D8 CLD FCoo 18 CLC FC07 6D ADC FCOS 61 FC09 FC BY TIM SCULLY FCOA 8D STA FCOB 61 FCae FC Although this series is tilled 'Biofeedback FCOD BO BCS HIORD by the computer, the result would be In more recent research,2 Oynes has col and Microcomputers', so far we've mostly 411 reade rs of PC to be aD the FCOE 06 a picture of fingertip pressure as it varies lected fingertip responses to musical discussed the use of microcomputers for COUNT FCOF CA DEX with lime. As in the brainwave experi works by different composers and has physiological data analysis. We'll get to lookout for as pecial beast FC 10 DO BNE GO ments described in the last inSiallment, once again found patterns of response computerized biofeedback soon, but it FC 11 Fa several recordings were made for each typical of each composer. He even found will be worthwhile to also talk a little FC 12 4C JMP FINIS emotion, and the resulting patterns were that the essen tic forms were similar for more about physiological data analysis FC13 21 averaged together. This averaging process different subjects and between different by computer: it may be the key to de Hi! PCC is doing a second computer games book. We FC14 FC smoothed out random variations in fin works by the same composer. coding the body's language and opening gertip pressure and produced a pattern want this to be the best book yet, so we're asking HIORD FC 15 AD LDA up new modes of intra· and inter·personal typical of one emotion for the person your help. We don't claim to know all that much FC16 60 To explore essen tic patterns with your communications and new possibilities for whose fingertip was tested. about making games that appeal to people. We need FC17 FC computer, you need to be able to com exploring inner space, to know what you want. FC 18 18 CLC municate fingertip pressure data to it. A TIle results of this process were a set of FC19 69 ADC immediate strain gauge will do the job, but may be SENTleS, curves of fmgertip pressure versus time What kinds of games do you like? What do you like FC1A 01 a little expensive. A material called 'Dy. EMOTIONS IN A FINGERTIP for emotions such as love, hate, joy and and dislike about current computer games? What do FC1B 8D STA nacon A' (Dynacon Industries, 14 Bisset sadness. The purpose of aynes' experi you want to see in a computer games book? What FC1C 60 Drive, West Milford, N.J. 07480) might Manfred Clynes,l a musician and biocy ment was to see if the body has a univer· computer language or dialect are you using? What FClD FC do the same job with less cost. In any bemetic researcher, has approached the sal language for expressing emotions, a are its lim itations? Maybe you have a game pro· FC 1E 4C JMP COUNT case, a sinlple 8 bit AID converter (now gram you'd like to see published? problem of decoding the body's language language independent of cultural and under SIO!) will suffice to complete the FC 1F OF from a unique direc tion. He asked exper FC20 FC linguistic differences. Clynes traveled interface to your computer. If I can get We'd like to hear about it. Send your comments, imental subjects, at a signal from his extensively and tested subjects from FINIS FC2 1 4C JMP FINIS it together, a future article may give computer, to express various emotions by many different cultures: he found that suggestions, criticisms, and programs (with a SASE if FC22 21 an exact circuit diagram and a program movements of one fingertip, while his the palterns of fingertip pressure for you wish your programs returned) to: FC23 FC for producing essen tic forms with a Poly computer recorded the fingertip's reo these emotions were distinctive and cross· video system. sponses. A strain gauge was used to con· cultural. pee The X register holds the multiplier. vert variations in rmgertip pressure into Attn: Eryk FC50 is loaded with the multiplicand. A MIRROR FOR EMOTIONS a varying electrical signal which an AID Box E FC60 holds the high order product. converter communicated to the compu· Menlo Park CA 94025 Fe61 holds the low order product. Clynes called these patterns 'essen tic Gary Schwartz,) working at Harvard ter. forms', and he reported that the essen tic University, has done some very inter o form for anger is the same for Mexican, esting work in uncovering patterns of The computer collected samples of data Japanese, American and Balinese finger muscle tension in the facial region which from the strain gauge al regular intervals. tips: a brief sharp pulse of pressure. The are related to emotions. He learned that **** **.******************* If one recording of these repeated sam· ~ ~~~~~~~ pattern for love is universally a gentle there are patterns of muscle tension pIes of strain gauge data were graphed curve. which are too subtle to produce visible 44 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 45 facial expressions but which correlate Hz and higher amplitude) and delta The next step will be to build a biofeed their system to help men who suffered Slides are pretty effective stimuli for this Well be talking more about computer well with emotions felt. waves (less than 4 Hz and often very back system, using a computer, to train from an uncontrollable desire for heroin. kind of training, but they are not as pow 'shaping' of biofeedback training in high amplitude). Usually a mixture of people to produce this three-peaked Their slides were photos of heroin being erful stimuli as real life situations. Mild part III of this series. Schwartz. used an electromyograph different brainwave types can be ob brainwave pattern. Then it will be possi bought and used. Their clients initially habits or phobias, such as cigarette smok (EMG) to measure muscle tension in four served at each scalp location. ble to find out if training for this pattern showed uncontrollable GSR responses ing, may not respond strongly enough to areas of the face: the frontalis muscle in of brainwaves helps promote more in to every such slide, but by working with slides for a biofeedback desensitization the forehead, the corrugator muscle The fast Fourier transfonn (FFT) is sight experiences. the desensitization system they were able system to work. Combined audio and vis· near the eyebrows, the masseter which a mathematicaJ technique, developed to learn to control this response. ual stimulation might be more effective operates the jaws and the depressor mus for digital computers,s which is designed MICROCOMPUTERS in many cases. cle which circles around the lips and to decompose a wavefonn into different AND DESENSITIZATION Byron and Ken found that some of their down the chin. He measured and av!raged frequency bands and detennine the clients learned to control their GSR re I recently saw an ad for a microcomputer EMG levels in these muscles ove r 30 sec· intensity (squared amplitUde) of the sig Desensitization is a technique used to sponses while watching the slides, but controlled cassette tape drive which has ond epochs. He compared ave rage rest· naJ in each frequency band. The result of help people lessen attachments and still experienced strong feelings. These one digital data track parallel with a sec ing tension levels with the readings ob an FFT calculation is a power spectrum get over phobias. For example, a per men had learned to suppress one physi ond audio track on which voice can be tained when his subjects imagined differ· of the signal anaJyzcd. son might use it to lessen a fear of ological response to the images without recorded. It would be very simple to use REFERENCES heights. Before getting into how micro ent emotions, in much the same manner learning to control their feelings. These a computer controlled cassette deck and 1. Clynll"S, Manfred A nniJIs of the New York as aynes' subjects. computers can help here, let's look same men tended to get cold hands while slide projector system to do combined Acedemy of Scienctls 220:57·131 (1973). at how desensitization works and how watching the slides. You may recall that audio·visual desensit ization training. The Schwartz. reported that happy thoughts biofeedback has been used in doing it. stress causes the body to withd raw blood physiological data would be fed into the 2. Clyn", Milinfred Sentics; the touch of from the hands and feet in preparation tHTIotions Anchor-Ooubleday, New York correlated with unusually low corrugator computer, which could compare these (1977). tension levels, while sadness produced ) 1 The simplest fonn of desensitization in for 'fight or flight', and that this causes data with program-controlled threshold unusually high corrugator tension. Anger volves setting up a hierarchy of images, cold hands. values and decide when to advance or 3. Schwartz, G. 81ofeedblck, 181f-regulation, tended to produce unusually high de each more arousing than the last. If reverse the slides and audio. Each slide and patterning of phYllologlcal proce"". pressor muscle tension. Schwartz found you are afraid of heights, you might Aquarius Electronics now sells a slide could have 10 or 15 seconds of audio Americen Scl."riu 63:314-324 11915) start out imagining yourself safely projector controller juS! like Byron and reprinted in: T.X. Barber, et 1111 Bloftlfld little change in the masseter and fronta associated with it which would begin ba;k end S.1f-controi 1975/76 Aldlne lis muscles for these three emotions, so in your favorite chair in your living room, Ken's. After designing that system, I later playing at the same instant the slide Publilhlng, Chicago (1976). it appears that a two channel EMG sys then walking outdoors and up a few steps built an improved system which used appears on the screen. tem may be enough to identify them. onto a low platfonn with a railing, then both skin temperature and GSR to con 4. Oon, Normilin S. The trensformetion of imagine removing the railing and then trol the slide projector. Slides advanced at contciou$ experier"lCe and its EEG corre regular intervals only if hands were wann lit". Journlll of AlttJred $r.tes of COlI Can you imagine a two channel EMG begin raising the platfonn up slowly. If Even without the audio feature, a compu lCiouSlletlS, Winter, (1978). system interfaced to your computer imagining this series of images is all you and no GSR response was detected. Cold ter-controlled desensitization system with a graphic display showing the fa did, the result would probably be just hands would cause the projector to stop makes a lot of sense. The computer can 5. Coolev, J., Lewil, P., & Welch, P. The cial expression that corresponds to your discomfort or even fear. The trick to advancing and 'freeze' until the hands be programmed to 'sllape' the task so fast Fourier trenlform and ill applica desensitization is to stop as soon as fear wanned up again. A GSR response caused that it is not too difficult at first and so tion to time IMlriet lfIaly,il. In K. Emlein, hidden emotions? Such a mirror for emo A. Ralston & H. Wilf $tet/lticiJI Mflthod, tions is under development for use in Don used FFT to analyu a single channel or discomfort is felt, and back up to an the projector to back up three slides and it isn't too easy as learning progresses. for OigitiJI Comput", IVoI3 of Mamflml counseling, and a future article may des of brainwaves in his research. His subjects earlier, less threatening image until you then stop. This system worked out well in This is done by readjusting the thresholds tical Method, for DigltfJl Computers) cribe the hardware and software for it in were graduate students in psychology can relax again. Then try moving forward a pilot study early this year with out which control the slide projector. The WliflY, Nflw York 119771. more detail. The system will use Aquari who were practicing an introspective to more arousing images until fear begins patients in the chemical dependence pro computer can also easily readjust the again. If this process is continued, you gram at Gladman Memorial Hospital in 6. Lebow, K. &. Allen, 8. Fifldlng #I Cure us Electronics EMG amplifiers and S-Ioo technique called 'focusing' while tape re time each slide is displayed and it can for T"flrmflnr, Lompoc Fel OAP Pro compatible interface, along with a Poly cording a running commentary of events find that it is possible to make more and OakJand, California. keep good records of training purposes. grem (1974). 01 video card. in consciousness along with their EEG more progress through the series of data. Each subject reviewed his tape images as you practice more. You are be INSIGHT: GETTING A BRAINWAVE recorded commentary of his session coming desensitized to images of heights. and identified those times, if any, dur ...... TRS-80 Nonnan Don 4 used a computer to search ing which insight or 'ah-ha' experiences One simple fonn of biofeedback desensi • • for brainwave patterns that might identi took place. Don then used a computer to tization was developed by Byron Allen • • Radio Shack is now a real computer 6 : CORRECTIONS FOR : and Ken lebow : a slide projector con· company - you can tell because fy moments of insight. To undentand do fFT anaJysis of the tape recorded : OUR SEPT-OCT ISSUE • his experiment, it will help to review a bit EEG data. He broke the long tape into trolled by galvanic skin response (GSR). they're delivering their systems late. of the history of electroencephalography short time segments called epochs, each You may recall from our last article that : We still hope to have a system for Of a GSR is a brief drop in the electrical ·• Utter Chaos provided the photographs After ack 4 is lost, retransmission review in time for the January-Febru (the measurement brainwaves). When 2.56 seconds long, and instructed his Hans Berger fint recorded human brain computer to ca1culate in FFT power resistance of your skin. Byron and Ken's in the PET article on pages 22, 26, and causes 0 to receive a duplicate ary press deadline. Meanwhile, a few waves in 1929, he attempted to classify spectrum for each epoch. A typical projector advanced to a new slide at re 27 of the Sept-Oct issue. packet (packet 4R), which it must bits of infonnation: delivery of and categorize the constantly changing session consisted of 1024 epochs. gular intervals as long as no GSR response acknowledge (ack 4R) so that S systems began August 15; it's confi wavefonns which he observed. He used happened. But if a GSR occurred, indica • In the article 'Computer Networking' will not continue to retransmit dential just how many systems have amplitude and frequency differences to Don wanted to test his hypothesis that ting autonomic nervous system arousal, by Larry Tesler, the next to last para indefinitcly. After ack 5 is delayed, been delivered. Both the 4K and 16K establish rough categories for types of insight experiences would be correlated then the projector would stop advancing graph on page J 7 should read as not only does 0 receive a duplicate systems may be ordcred with a 6 - 8 brainwaves. The use of amplitude and with unusually high peaks in the alpha and back up to earlier slides. Once the follows: packet (packet 5 R), but S receives week delivery time. The first TRS·80s frequency domain features to classify band and in its two subharmonics in theta GSR was over, the projector would re lei us look at each of these cases. a duplicate ack (ack 5R), which it were scheduled to reach Radio Shack brainwaves is still popular, and you may and delta. He wrote a computer program sume advancing. After packet 3 is lost, retransmis· simply ignores. Stores in October, to inaugurate the have heard of alpha waves (8-13 Hz and to sort out those which matched this gen sion (packet 3R) restores order. opening of the first Tandy Computer fairly high amplitude), beta waves ( 13-30 eral pattern - he was right: the insigllt ex Byron and Ken worked at Lompoc Fed Store in Fort Worth. Hz and low amplitude), theta waves (4-8 perience did happen during these epochs. eral Correctional Institution and used 46 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-OEC 47 , ROW.COL. AFTER GENERATI ON •• I , , ., ••••••, I • • .. , • • HERE'S THE BDARD AT THE START 1 , • • 2 3 Ij 5 •, • • • ,I • .. • • , .. PLAYER C.l • • Paper·rauing [onnat. ROW.COL. SURVIVOR , ..-/"'-..../""' ..... n •••• 1.1 PLAYER tIl ...... ROW.COL • BY MAC OG LESBY AFTER, GENERATION, I.' I , . " WANT INSTRUCTIONS FOR SURVIVOR? YES I • AFTER GENERATION ,. , • • • I • , ., THE GAME Of SURVIVOR IS BASED ON ~OHN CONWAY'S GAME OF LIfE. , • I • •• • • • , . • I. SURVIVALS·--EVERY PIECE WITH EITHER TWO OR THREE , , • NEIGHBORS SURVIVES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. • • • 2. DEATHS···EACH PIECE HAVING FOUR OR MORE NEIGHBORS EACH PLAYER NOW ADDS ONE PIECE. , • • DIES (DISAPPEARS) FROM OVERPOPULATION. EACH PIECE PLAYER e.l WITH fEWER THAN TWO NEIGHBORS DIES FROM ISOLATI ON. ROW.COL. PLAYER , '1 3. BIRTHS··-EACH EMPTY CELL AD~ACENT TO EXACTLY THREE n •••• ROW.COL. NEIGHBORS·-NO MORE. NO FEWER-·IS A BIRTH CELL. I. , ...... PLAYER ell ,.. SURVIVOR IS fOR TWO PLAYERS. THE GAME IS PLAYED ON A SXS ROW.COL. PLAYER ell BCARD. n •••• ROW.COL. ,.1 D .... 1 2 3 Ij 5 I. , I AfTER GENERATION , AFTER GENERATION 6. , I , ., " , , I • • I , ., • • • I I • • I •, •, • • • , . • • • • • , • • • • • EACH PLAYER HAS A SYMBOL (. OR I) TO SHOW THE LOCATtON OF , •• • • HIS LIVE PIECES. •, PLAYER [.l • THE SYMBOLS (. AND I) ARE REGARDED AS THE SAME EXCEPT WHEN ROW.COL. PLAYER (.1 In 1970, British mathematician Johll DECIDING ON THE OWNERSHIP OF A NEW PIECE. AN EMPTY CELL ...... ROW.COL. HAVING TWO I AND ONE. fOR NEIGHBORS WILL GENERATE A I. ,. I ...... Conway of Cambridge University created THAT IS. THE NEW PIECE WILL BELONG TO THE PLAYER WHO HAS PLAYER ell I. , 'Life' as a board game which starts with a THE MA~ORITY OF THE THREE AD~ACENT PIECES. ROW.COL. THAT CELL IS OCCUPIEDI simple pattern of cells and changes ...n. INPUT IGNORED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN ••• ROW.COL. according to the 'genetic laws' listed ill TO BEGIN. EACH PLAYER POSITIONS THREE LIVE PIECES ON THE I. I BOARD BY TYPING IN THE COORDINATES (ROW. COLUMN) Of THE ...... the Survivor instmctiOfls shown at the CHOSEN CEl..LS. A COMMA MUST SEPARATE THE TWO NtI'IBERS. AFTER GENERATION 31 ,., right, 17lese laws were chosen 10 make I 2 3 Ij 5 PLAYER £'1 the behavior of the cell population un AfTER EACH GENERATION HAS BEEN PRINTED OUT. EACH PLAYER IN I • • • • ROW. COL.. TURN PLACES ONE PIECE ON THE BOARD. IF BOTH PLAYERS CHOOSE , • • ...... prediclable~some patterns die out, others THE SAME LOCATION. THAT CELL IS LEFT EMPTY. , ,.. seemingly grow without limit, others • • • • • • AfTER GENERATION evolve into stable patterns. Some pattems, THE OBJECT IS TO SURVIVE. THE GAME ENDS WHEN ONE OF THE , • PLAYERS HAS NO LIVE PIECES. I , , ., " such as 'gliders,' appear to travel across PLAYER [.1 I ROW.COL. , • • the board. Some of the commonest stable PLAYER [.l ••• ENTER 3 LIVE PIECES. , . fomls are illustrated in this article, ROW.COL...... ,., • ...... PLAYER tIl ,• • Mac Oglesby's SUl1';vor turns Life into a I .. • •• ROW.COL. NonnalJy the moue.!' are hidden ROW.COL. 2-person game written in Dartmouth by Ihe OUeTpri'lting. Mac ad· •••••• ••• PLAYER ell IS THE SURVIVOR I •••••• vo.nced Ihe paper so the moues ,., BASIC for use on a teletypewriter, Nor ,., YOU BOTH PICKED THE SAME CELL. SO IT STAYS EMPTY. TYPE RUN TO PLAY AGAIN. mally when players specify the row and ROW.COL • would show. columll of a live piece the move is hidden ...... ,. , by overpn'millg, but the paper has been advanced in the sample TUIl so t/lat you PLAYER ell .-~ ENTER 3 LIVE PIECES. can see the moves, ...... ROW.cOL.,., Readers imerested ill a more detailed ROW.COL • mathematical discussioll of Life should ...... refer to'Scientific American, Oct, 1970 ROW.COL.••• (pages 120-123), Nov. 1970 (page 118), ...... Jan 1971 (pages 105, 106, 108) and Feb, ,., THAT CELL IS OCCuPIEDI 1971 (pages 112-/17). INPUT IGNORED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN ••• NOV-DEC 49 48 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS , • c '. . " '. • • c • • f • "o ~ u •• •o • :• •• . • · o- " , o . ••," "d , .. i ~u • " ••• 'u~: .'.'w, !i • ..0. ~ •o u '. _.,WJU ...... , _.w 0 .~ ,. • • • ~ !. d • · ~ ~ o.~ _ g ;: - •~ .. , • .- ~ I-"~' ,- ~ .. :~-. ""'.,,>W .. _,.....,._<4~-- Ii ; _u .. c , - -" , , - " >= , ~ ,.~d ;: , " .-.~ •E ~ :j ..1= ---; • •• •t ..• ~ " . • ! -" • • • I I 8.", '.>l) .. .. ~~~ u " - • .m '.- ., -c... 8:: • -. -• I .... wu •• J ••" ~ .m f ',J'" ~ •• "u-" = - .', :'., .~ -,- .-'. - :; ~ """ - ~. " - i , The commonest stable [ontls , 50 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-DEC 51 The superquestion QQ! tells the wizard 1.53 steps. The step length can be altered Learning about operations. The NAKI has teaching math to ask you who you are. When you give to n screen units by typing Z F n !. a particular state (position and heading) your name, he will check to see whether The initial step length is 100 units. The at any given time. The visible path the anything has been stored under your back command' B! • works the same way. NAKI draws is a pictorial record of the name. If so, your work from last time can state-changing operations used (F B R with be retrieved and the wizard will reply The command R! makes the NAKI and L). Thus exercises in which the NAKl 'Welcome back ... ' If not, the wizard tum I degree to the right of its current must be guided through a maze avoiding will welcome you as a new chum by heading (Le. clockwise). L! makes the the walls sharpen a child 's sense of the replying • How do you do ... ' followed NAKI tum I degree left (Le. anticlock relationship between operations per by your name. wise). Larger turns are made by stating fonned and the state changes observed. graphics the number of degrees first. For example THENAKl 90R! makes the NAKI turn right through The maze exercises involving retracing the one right angle. NAKl's steps reveal to the child that BY HARVEY COHEN WITH The NAKI appears as a dot and can be F and B, Rand L are mutually inverse DAVID GREEN thought of as a small bug that moves WALKING THE NAKJ pairs of operations (i.e. one immediately about the screen as you tell the wizard followed by the other makes the NAKl to command it. The NAKI is confmed to Leamillg about space. Pupils working retrace its last step and return to its pre Harvey Cohen alld David Green are work By learning to guide the NAKl, the stu· THE WIZARD an area on the screen 1024 units square. with Oz.Graphics would nonnally have vious state). Furthennore, he/she will illg with the OZNAKI Project ill the dent learns mathematical ideas in a dy· If sent over the boundary it jumps to previous experience with 'lONKY', a soon learn that 180R = 180L and that Matliematics Departmem at La Trobe namic way. For inslance, in drawing When running the Oz·Graphics programme, the far side of the screen and continues small robot that crawls about a level B! is equivalent to 180R F 180RL Unil'ersity in BUlldoora, ViclOria, Aus regular figures like the following the child the user can be thOUght of as talking to ;:;. on its way. By the NAKJ's 'state' is surface carring a marking pen. In a first tralia. learns by experience about angular 'Wizard ' who can transmit commands meant its position and heading together. lesson with lONKY the child learns the Simple exercises with mazes should relationships. to the NAKl, answer questions, and reo The command I! tells the NAKl to basic commands F, B, R, and L by di make the child realize that replacing each n,e project, wllich lias the support of the member things. indicate its current state. recting ZONKY through a maze. These operation in a sequence by its inverse and Vnil'ersity's Education Research and lessons are worth repeating on·line with reversing the order of the operations DeveJopmctlt Committee, Ilses computers Commallds. The wizard conveys com· TIle NAKI has a home state which is NAKl Commands can be strung together results in a sequence of operations which as part of a math lab envirOllmefll for mands to the NAKJ. Commands are initially in the middle of the screen and to produce a path showing where the causes the NAKI to retrace its steps kids. /fere the project's graphic lallguage not obeyed until the instruction • DO pointing up. The command Jl tells the NAKl has walked. around the maze. for kids is described. IT! • is given. The ' do it! ' instruction is NAKI to jump to its home state from given in Oz·Graphics by pressing the wherever it is at the time. The command Example: a sample maze Example: F 90R F 90L F 90R B ! has RETURN key on the keyboard. This U! tells the NAKJ to revert to pointing the inverse F 90l B 90R B 90L 8 !. INTRODUCING OZ-GRAPHICS action will be denoted in what follows upwards when in its home state. There by the symbol' ! '. are two ways of changing the home state • Oz-Graphics' is a computer language of the NAKl One is by walking the which allows the user to sketch an as Other mathematical ideas the system de· Memory. The wizard can be told to re NAKI across the screen to the desired tonishing variety of patterns on a graphic monstrates include operations, group member lists of commands. TIus is done location, then using the H command: screen using simple commands. It is one theoretic ideas, algorithms, and spatial by typing Z followed by the name of H! tells the NAKJ to establish a new of a group of languages and teaching de concepts: translation, rotation, reflection, what is to be remembered, then a string home in its current state. The other in vices, developed by the OlNAKI PRO. scaling, perspective, and basic geometrical of commands. There are four names that volves the use of a cartesian coordinate JECT at La Trobe Univers.ity, which are ideas. Oz-Graphics provides a way of can be given to strings of commands you system with origin in the bottom left· designed to help teach basic mathematical doing geometry that helps to develop want remembered - V, W, X, and Y. For hand comer of the screen. The NAKl's ideas and problem.solvingmethods, and to important analytic skills: detecting repe instance Z V J F 90R F ! tells the wizard home state is initially in the position provide an opportunity for mathematical tition in complex patterns, breaking that the command V! is to mean J F (500,380) and pointing up. The com· 'Home' creativity. Oz·Craphics is really a foml of problems down into simple elements, and 9ORF! mand ZH 200 300 45 ! (say) tells the computer geometry lhat is closely related recognizing and evaluating different ap wizard to move the NAKI's home to the to the 'turtle geometry' developed at proaches to the same problem. It is in· TIle command lZ! tells the wizard to poSition (200, 3(0) with a heading 45 In the example above, note that while M.I.T. tended that the system should foster • remember to remember '. This asks that degrees to the right of' up '. the NAKI may retrace its path to return creativity by encouraging the student a record be kept under your name of to its original state, it may also return to OL-Graphics directs the happenings on a to design his/her own patterns. what V,W,X, and Y represented. They The NAKI can move on the surface, its original state by an infinite number of fine-grained graphics screen (Tektronix will then be available at the next session where it leaves a trail, or can tunnel. other paths. GTl024). On the screen is an obedient Oz·Graprucs is not a C.A. 1. system de· you have on the Oz·Graphics system. Initially the NAKl is on the surface. 'NAKl ' (visible as a flashing dot) which signed to replace human teachers. Rather The command T! makes it tunnel and it It is impossible to cheat if the NAKJ is SPATiAL CONCEPTS can leave a track on the screen as it it is a piece of equipment for a Mathe QuestiollS. The wizard will take any will not surface again until the command always on the surface leaving a trail. moves. The NAKI obeys the same moving matics Learning Laboratory in which stu command preceded by Q as a question. S! is given. Of course the NAKI might tunnel through Towards cartesian coordillores. Moving commands, such as step forward or tum dents practice the skills needed to be· For instance in the example given above, ·a barrier! The maze itself could be drawn the NAKl about its territory along paths right on the spot, that arc familiar to the come creative mathematicians. It is if you type in QV!, the wizard will re The command F! makes the NAKJ move by a slightly more advanced pupil for use that involve solely vertical or horizontal child and that he could obey himself. very much up to the teacher, through spond by answering: 'V '" J F 90R F.' one step forward. A number before the by another. Once the NAKI has gone from motions leads naturally to the idea of A summary of these commands appears individual or classroom discussion, to reo If the question is meaningless or can not F causes the NAKl to move the appro one end of the maze to the other, a pupil coordinates that describe its position. on page 57. inforce the concepts that children learn be answered, then the wizard responds priate number of steps forward. For in· can be asked to make the NAKJ retrace Thus if home is taken to be the origin on the Oz-Graphics system. with' Eh! Eh! '. stance , I.53F! sends the NAKI forward its steps back to the start. of the coordinate system, then the 52 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 53 J .. NAKI's position can be described as the 2) Give the NAKJ these commands: Patterns fonned by the repetition of lerns and, starting from initiaUy rough a programme to draw a ' chessboard' number of steps' up • and to the' right' F 90R F !. Try to send it home along more than one line segment pose more ideas gradually refine them to reach a (that is, an 8x8 grid of squares). it must make from home to reach that a straight line. of a chaUenge and give more scope for solulion. position. teaching geometrical ideas. What condi 2) The algorithms V = S8, W = 90R SF tions must now be fulfilled by an algorithm Examples of Programmes: SB 90L cause the NAKI to draw ver Example: The command strings F 90R to produce a closed figure? tical and horizontal lines respective F 90L F 90R F 90L F 90R F ! and 90R Examples: 1) The command X! draws a row of five ly. Use them to design a programme 3F 90L 3F ! both take the NAKI to a triangles. to draw a chessboard. point that is 3 steps above and 3 steps V =F 120R to the right of home. W =3VT90R.87F90LS 3) Which of the two chessboard-d rawing 'Home' X =:SW programmes above is faster (Le. has to do the least drawing)? Which pro Exercises like (2) illustrate properties of gramme. is the more compact of the two (i.e. can be expressed more brief right triangles and trigonometric relation This pattern has sixfold (rotational) sym ships. v ly)? , metry which will fmd expression in the Examples such as the above show that Oz.Graphics programmes that draw it. Oosed figures. Many geometric ideas can various approaches to problems nonnally There must be some command W such be learnt and many fascinating figures ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMES exist and can be used to encourage both that 6W ! draws the whole figure. Al drawn in studying closed figures. The 2) If X in (I) is changed to X = SW J flexibility and critical assessment of though there are seven hexagons in the simplest way to draw a closed figure is The essence of pallern is the repclition of T B S H, then it makes the NAKl re 'Home' ___--- __------.J different approaches. figure, if each repetition of W drew one to repeat the operation of drawing a line basic elements. The V,W,X,Y labels are turn to its starting point after drawing side of the inner hexagon, then there segment and turning through an angle specificaJly designed to help in the con· the triangles and move one step down Rotation. ' Rotation ' means repetition of would be no need to draw the inner hex the appropriate number of times. For struction of figures with repeated ele the page. If we make Y = 4X, then the A sense of distance arises from the idea a pattern element by rotation about a agon separately. instance, to draw a square we need to tell ments. The programme above for drawing command Y! draws the following pivotal point. This concept is closely of path length. While the first route in the NAKJ to step forward and change closed figures is an example of their use. wallpaper pattern. the above example is more tortuous, linked WiUl the fonnalion of closed figures Reflection. ' Reflection ' means the pro its heading by 90 degrees to the right four discussed earlier. The difference is that in duction of a mirror image of a pattern the number of steps involved is the same times. This is best done by labelling this The idea of an algorithm can be intro rotation the NAKI returns to its starting element. Oz-Graphics allows a parallel along either route. short string X and giving the command duced by considering command strings point each time, while the figures earlier to be drawn between patterns that are 4X! as follows: with repetitions. For example, in drawing Angles and distances. Innumerable spatial were produced by both rotating and mirror images of each other and the dual a triangle using the string F 120R F l20R nature of the operations F and D, R relationships can be learnt by trial and er· Z X F 90R! translating the elements (Le. sides). F 120R!, the commands F 120R are and L. ror on walks with the NAKI. Each step J 4X! simply repeated three tinles. These two can be tested first by making the NAKI commands can be made into an algorithm Example Exercises: For example, the algorithm X = 45R F tunnel while perfonning both the in. Theorem. A closed figure will be drawn named X by typing Z X F l20R L There 45R F 45L 8 45R 8 draws this pattern: tended operation and its inverse, before by a programme like the above provided after the command 3X! will draw a trying the operation on the surface. that the product (n x alpha) of the angle triangle. I) V='2F 90L F 90L F 1. W=V 45L H. by which the heading changes at each then SWL Problem Examples: step (alpha) and the number of repeti In effect, by having the wizard remember tions (n) of X is a multiple of 360. that 3X! draws a triangle, we are teaching 1) Give the NAKJ the following com the NAKI a new skill based on what it 1/ mands. In each case send the NAKI Examples: can already do. The V,W,X, and Y mem home without retracing its path. ories make it possible to programme the SPATIAL PATTERNS Use only commands contained in the NAKJ to draw very complex patterns Replacing each R by an L and vice versa given string. on a single command. From an educa. TIle following sections outline concepts give Y '" 4SL F 4SL F 4SR B 4SL B a) F 40R F l40R 3F! tional viewpoint, this feature of Oz. that are fundamental to the analysis and which draws an image that is the reflec b) 90R 2F l20L F 30R 28 ! D tion of the original figure about a verti n-4,alpha - 90 n - 5, alpha " 144 Graphics is probably the most important construction of complex patterns. of all because: cal line through home. n - 6, alpha " 60 Translation. 'Translation' means a sim I I) It shows the power that algOrithms ple displacement of a pattern element in I 'w ____ w __ • Some faSCinating questions arise which have; space. For instance, W in example (I) students can investigate. For instance: 2) It stimulates an analytic approach to of the last section involves translation of 'Home' _--;>--_1--' 'Home' problems. That is, it forces the student a triangle horizontally. X in example '\: ~"t(---'// I) What happens if n times alpha is nOI to look for repeated elements in a (2) causes vertical translation of a whole a multiple of 360? pattern and to try to break problems row of triangles. 2) What happens if n times alpha equals down into simpler subproblems; 360? 3) It emphasizes the use and importance Problem Examples: , b 3) What happens to the figures drawn of symbolism in mathematics through 2) Write an algoritlun to draw a hexa in question (2) as n becomes larger the naming of operational strings; 1) The programme V = F 90R, W = 4V gon. Make use of rotation to write a The above highlight the geometric pro and larger? (Note: use smaller seg 4) It provides a framework within which causes NAKl to draw a square on programme that draws the following Replacing each F by a B and vice versa perties of angles, parallel lines etc. ment lengths) a student can attack complex prob- the ...... and WL Use this to design section of honeycomb. gives V = 45R D 45R B 45L F 4SR F 54 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 55 which causes the NAKI to draw an image perfonn such picture manipulation for The pseudo-plane is rotated a further SUMMARY OF COMMANDS of the original figure reflected about a any algoritJun (X say): G, D, and E. 15 degrees out from the screen on line at 45 degrees to the vertical. These act like adjectives and modify the each repetition of the algorithm, so CLEARING SCREEN command they precede. The fonn is that at the sixth repetition, the pseudo mGnX (using G and X as examples) plane is perpendicular to the screen and P Pagel Clears graphics screen where m is a natural number and n is a the figure drawn is thus merely a straight Places NAKI at home positive decimal number. This causes line along the imaginary intersection of algorithm X to be repeated m times and the plane with the screen. NAKI LOCATION to be scaled each time by a factor n. G causes the figure drawn by X to grow in Example; The programme X "" .2F lOR, Indicates current NAKI heading by a line of flashing dots size by the scaling factor n of its initial Y = 36X draws a (near) circle. The com· emanating from the NAKI size. D causes it to diminish similarly. mand 6M15Y! causes a series of eJlipse~ E causes the figure to exponentially in to be drawn. NAK I MOVEMENT COMMANDS Replacing both F by Band R by L crease in size by Ihe fraction n of its (etc) gives W = 45L B 45L B 45R F previous size. The M command can be combined direct F,nF Forwardl, n steps forwardl 45l F which causes the NAKI to draw an Perspective. The expand command, E, ly with the G, D, and E commands above B,nB Backl, n steps back image of the original figure reflected Examples: makes it possible to illustrate perspective to produce some spectacular effects. It is about a horizontal line. R,aR Turn right (clockwise) I Turn a degrees right with Oz.Graphics. Repetitions of figures easy, for instance, to produce paHems L,aL Turn left (anti·clockwise)I Turn a degrees left I) If X draws (a), then 3Gl.OX draws resembling views of sea-shells from var drawn some distance from home give J Jump Homel Leaves no trail on the way home ~------.. (b), 3DJ.OX draws (c), 3E.5X draws ious angles simply by arranging appro· , the same effect as perspective does when C Crawl Home! Leaves a trail if NAKI is "on surface" , ,/ , (d), and 3El.2X draws (e). In exam a row of such objects is viewed vanishing priate rotations and scale changes of an , , " H Redefine home to be NAKI's current state , , ples, the dotted segments indicate into the distance. initial figure. The examination of the U Twists NAKI to head Up screen (North) in home state the figure drawn by X. properties of the shapes of sea·shells is a Example: The programme W! below branch of mathematics in itself and pro draws a picture of a stick figure some dis· vides a good topic for project work. \ s-- TRAIL MARKING BY NAKI tance from home. The programme V! bl]C[1 draws a whole row of stick figures ap· T Tunnel! Leaves no trail parently vanishing into the distance. CREATING PATTERNS Examples alld Problems: S Surface! Return to the surface. Leave a trail V=W9E.7W The skills involved in pattern analysis MEMORY I) Why are the above patterns reflec aD ,------, e~ W = T 90R 3F S F .58 90l .2F 90R X J have already been listed, both in the in· tions about the particular lines X=9l 20Y 81lB 30RB F 60lB troduction and in the section 'Mgo V,W,X, V Command strings definable by the user shown? That is, what is the rela d .. Y= .IF t8l rithms and Programmes'. EXercises to ~ J LillJ Z Remember ... Is ... Example: ZX 2F 3R I tion between line of reflection develop analytic ability may take many and the operations involved? May also be used to redefine movement commands. fonns. For instance: Examples: ZH 100200901 ZF 501 Ouestion! Asks the Wizard for information: 2) Use the algorithms given to illustrate I) Run a given programme to see what o reflection (X and Y will do) to con 2) Use the algorithm X from the OX,OV,OV,OW,OH,QF it draws. Run each segment individ· ZZ Remember to rememberl Store your work for next time struct a programme that draws the section on reflection to draw the ually to see how the pattern is com· following pattern. following 00 Superquestion! Tells wizard to ask your name and to re posed. trieve your Ptevious work, if any 2) Given an algorithm for an element in PICTURE MANIPULATION COMMANDS a given pattern, try to write a pro· gramme that draws the whole pattern. G Grow at arithmetic rate Another aspect of perspective concerns o Diminish at arithmetic rate the changing appearance of shapes viewed Creative ability can be stimulated by E Expand gives growth at exponentiating rate from different angles in three dimensions. other sorts of exercise. For instance: nGmX Do X n times, growing all paths traced out by the factor Oz-Graphics has the command M which m of original each time can be used to demonstrate simulated ro 3) Given a pattern and the programme nOmX Do X n times, reducing all paths traced out by the factor tation of a figure in three dimensional that draws it, see how changes to the m of the original each time space. In the example below, the com· programme vary the pattern. Try to nEmX Do X n times, expanding all paths traced out by the frac· produce a given pattern by changing mand 6M15Y! causes the NAKl to reo tion m of current length each time peat the algoritJun Y six times. Each a given programme. repetition is perfonned as if the NAKl THREE DIMENSIONAL PICTURE MANIPULATION were moving on a surface coming out 4) Given a pattern element, see what variety of patterns results from pro of the screen and meeting the screen M Makes NAKI travel on a plane that passes through a North! along a north-south line through home. grammes that manipulate it in dif South line through home Sca/ing . • Scaling ' means repetition of a The figure drawn on the screen each time ferent ways. nMaX Do X n times, on fictitious plane pattern element with different size. is a projection of the figure on the Rotate inclined plane a degrees each time! Oz-Graphics has three commands which 3) Draw an Archirnedean spiral pseudo-plane back onto the screen. Conlinu&d on page 58. PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS 56 NOV·DEC 67 Examples of exercises of all the above how are they strung together? '. Students types are scattered throughout the pre· should be encouraged to solve simplified ANNOUNCEMENTS ceding sections. The nested arrangement versions of the challenge pattern first. of algorithms within programmes that Students might go on from their fmal the V, W, X, and Y labels allow encour· solution to the challenge pattern to in· ages good working habits and simplifies vestigate other wallpaper designs. the • debugging' process when a pattern trollable AC sockets that can turn two AQt..CAOA.CA0404CAOAQ6.CAo&.OAo&o goes wrong. Of course some children will use Oz 500-watt appliances on or off. The com OSI'S HARD DISK GraphiCS in simple ways to reproduce puter can also 'poll' the remote to check Pattern·building lends itself to project caricatures of children's art. Thus com· HARDWARE its status (on or off). Programs can easily Ohio Scientific has announced a 16000 wo rk. For example, a project might start bining an algorithm X that draws a square be written in BASIC or assembly language 74 megabyte hard disk for small compu with a challenge pattern such as the wall with an algorithm Y that draws a triangle, to monitor and control remote devices. ters. The C·074 provides 35 millisecond paper design, right. Difficult patterns yields a house. The house might be em average access time to any of 74 million like this take time to master. The teacher bellished with windows or a chimney. RS-232 TO CURRENT LOOP/ The AC Controller™ board in the com· bytes of information. The first drive with shouJd encourage students to ask: 'What Exercises like this make a pleasant game TTL ADAPTER puter transmits and receives signals to 12 tracks on a cylinder without reseeking, are the repeated bits of the pattern and for younger students. 0 and from the llO VAC line through an C·074 can access any of220,000 bytes of The Connecticut MicroComputer ADAp AC Interface Adaptor that is plugged into information in 5 milliseconds. ter has two circuits. TIle first converts an a wall receptacle. Digital signals generated RS·232 signal 10 a 20 rna current loop by the AC Controller board contain an C·D74 can store all the records of a medi c signal, and the second converts a 20 ma address that selects the proper remote de um size company for instant access. And '" C I 05l:! Steve Witham current loop signal to an RS·232 signal. vice and a conmland that turns the re the Winchester technology of the C-074 With this device a computer's tele mote device on or off. The AC Interface means that the drive can run 24 hours a type port can be used to drive an RS-232 Adaptor 'impresses' this digital signal on day without worry of disk wear. terminal , or vice versa, without modifica top of the 110 VAC waveform and iso tion of the port. ADA can also be paral lates the computer from the AC voltage. The 74 megabyte disk also has important leled to drive a teletype or RS-232 printer applications in both business computing while still using the computer's regular AC Remote ™ units, capable of control and research in computing itself. The disk terminal. ADA can easily be modified to ling electrical devices and appliances, may makes small computers practical for become an RS-232 to TTL and TTL to be plugged into any wall receptacle in the much larger jobs than formerly thought RS-232 ADApter. ADA does not alter the location. The AC Remote unit decodes feasible. With a lO millisecond single baud rate and uses standard power sup the digital signal on the AC line and turns track seek, the drive has a data transfer plies with very low current requirements. the devices plugged into it on or off in reo rate of 7.3 megabits per second, uses a The unit comes with complete instruc sponse to the command it receives from new non·removable sealed chamber drive tions, is assembled and tested, and meas the AC Controller board. Whcn 'polled' with a rotary arm pOSitioner. ures 3" x 3 1/2" x I". The current loop is by the controller, the AC Remote sends a isolated from the RS·232 signal by opto message back to notify the computer of The drive, cable , interface for an Ohio \ ""'".) isolators. its present state. Each AC Remote unit Scientific Challenger and 0S-74 operating contains two independently controllable system software is 16000 F.O.B., Hiram, ADA sells for $24.50 with drilled, plated 5 amp AC receptacles and the circuit OH. EqUipment rack not included. Can· through solder pads for all connections, board, all enclosed in an attractive walnut tact: Ohio Scientific, Hiram, OH 44234; or for $29.50 with barrier strips and cabinet. Applications for Mountain Hard (216) 469·7905. screw terminals. Contact: Connecticut ware's Introl system include home securi MicroComputer, Pocono Rd., Brookfield, ty, solar heater control and even an easily CT06804. implemented automated darkroom. Software routines are provided to help create unique control programs. Future $ compatible remotes include a dual tem perature sensor and an 8·input status sen sor, which will allow virtually all applica ALF MUSIC SYNTHESIS BOARD tions to be realized. INTELLIGENT REMOTE ALF Products has announced a special CONTROLLER FOR S-100 SYSTEMS Introl system components are available in version of its A08 Music Synthesis Board. kit or assembled form. All AC Remotes The board has the full features of the c Mountain Hardware's new Introl™ is a are housed in an attractive walnut cabi AD8 but includes an S-IOO compatible ('.,~~.. Z z z. t ( remote control system that communi net. Kit price for the AC Controller is 'controller' which contains a top octave ...... ' cates over the standard 110 V AC power $149.00 and the AC Remote is $99.00. generator. Ribbon cables with edge can· ...., .. C"'~,...... Cl.."',~ .... lines. The AC Controllcr™ board is an Contact Mountain Hardware, Inc., PO nectors are used to connect this 'control· S-IOO compatible board that is capable of Box 1133, Ben Lomond, CA 95005; ler' to I to 8 synthesis boards. Unregula ), "t~;~", controlling up 10 64 remote units any· (408)336-2495. ted power is also supplied to the boards 1":~'" . where in your building. The AC Re· which will not plug directly into the mote ™ unit has two independently con- S-l00 bus. .. PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 59 One example of the board's capabilities is INTEGRAL IMPAcr PRINTER the approximation of a trumpet tone. Also included in the MSDV-lOO is the Twenty·three wavefonns defined in the EXPANDOR'S BLACK BOX PRlNTER Integral Data Systems, Inc., is now offer. ability to generate high quality forms NEW CROMEMCO SOFlWARE control board's RAM are sent to the ing a full-feature dot matrix impact print overlays. Margins can be eitJler single or synthesis board at a rate of 64 per second . Expandor, Inc has announced a printer er designed for use with mini or micro double width with continuous intersec· HUH Electronic Music Productions has The synthesis board has two wavefonn for the computer hobbyist. The Black computer systems. Printing at rates to tions. Charts, graphs, or order entry announced the availability of several new memori es so that one can be reprogram· Box Printer is a low cost (S396.00), fully 120 cps with up to 132 characters per forms are easy to produce on the video Cromemco software products. The soft· med while the other is playing, then on assembled, 80 column, 10 character per line, the In tegral Impact's standard fea screen. ware is supplied on CUTS (Computer command the board will switch to the User's Tape System) compatible cassettes. second impact printer. The unit uses a tures include an RS-232 and current loop other memory be as soon as the first element print cylinder (not a dot matrix) cont ain serial interface, enhanced mode (double A third significant feature of the MSDV- CUTS cassettes may directly loaded in is reached, causing a smooth transition to SOI./ZOL or into any other computer ing a 64 ASCII character set and up to width) characters, selectable character 100 Video Display System is the abil ity to the new waveform, especially if the with a cassette interface installed. three copies are possible on tractor (or and line sizes, and multiple copy capabili to di splay continuous grey scale elements curs zero crossing point of both wavefonns pressure) fed 8 1/2" wide paper The ty on both fan-fold and roll paper. in an y of nine levels i.n any of 1920 posi (Several companies are now manufactur· is defmed as the first element. Although printer is shipped ready to connect to (al tions on the screen. This is especially use ing curs compatible boards.) the S-IOO 'control board' does not most) any microprocessor parallel port. It The Integral Impact is a complete printer ful for bar graphs and fo r grey scale have its own processor to send wavefonn has a parallel interface included, requiring system ready to plug in and operate. Us. graphics or animations, as well as in forms SOFTWARE ROS (Resident Operating System) is a defmitions, the computer's 8080 can 7 data bits, a ready and a strobe. AC ing the RS·232 serial interface, the print applications. powerful development tool for Z·80 do this itself. The waveform memories It power is supplied for the printer, but the er can be integrated into any mini or machines. consists of a com plete assem· as if they were S-Ioo MSD also has the capability to ge nerate bier (Zilog compatible) and Text Editor. will be accessed TIL logic interface requ ires +8 to micro-computer system by simply attach. memory. liver MSDY·lOO Video Systems It also provides useful system functions +10 VOC from the micro. ing it to a standard serial port. Serial baud and de WORD PROCESSING rates of 110 to 1200 bits per second are with custom character sets as defined by such as display, modify, verify, and move The Synthesis Boards are available in kit the user. This could include mathematical Interactive Data Systems has developed memory locations as well as the ability to Full documentation is supplied with the ~1~Cla~ l e, and a parallel interface capa. form for S220 from: ALF Products Inc., symbols, APL cha racters, or Boolean a word processing system, IDSWORDl , program 2708 type EPROM 's using a printer including trouble shooting guides, billty IS also provided. Switch settings 128 S Taft, Lakewood, CO 80228, installation and maintenance instructions, select character sizes and line length from logic symbols to nanle a few. designed to run under MITS Disk Extend Cromell1CO Bytesaver Board. ROS resides (303) 234'()S71.G printer and interface schematiCS, plus in· 80 to 132 characters per line. ed BASIC. Some of the more important in 8K of memory and is supplied with a structions on how to wire up to the 1·0 Internally, the MSDV-l OO is a two board features of the system are: comprehensive user's manuaJ, tips for use parallel port. Expandor states that most A 5 x 7 dot matrix is used to print the S·IOO based system which occupies 2K of Une editing - inserting, deleting or with ZOL and cassette. Price is S40.00 users are able to service their own printer standard 64 character ASCII sel. The RAM address space and two Input/Out· changing text in a line of data. and delivery is from stock. Dealer dis print mechanism automatically re-inks pul ports. For diagnostic purposes a Global editing - inserting, deleting, counts available. AOA()4()4~~ the ribbon to give an expected ribbon life memory test can be performed on the changing or finding strings of data in a of up to 10,000,000 characters. line buf. screen. selected block of text. Control BASIC is a much extended ver PROGRAMMABLE CHARACTER fering by the microprocessor·based con Merging - combining portions of various sion of Dr. Li Chen Wang's Palo Alto GENERATOR Software support for the MSDY-IOO is troller allows instantaneous print rates of flies into a single file. Tiny BASIC (see Dr. Dobb's Joun/lll more than 120 cps with sustained complete with both machine language Reformatting - moving words between Vol. I #5). Features include: multiple Objective Design announces the Program throughput of more than 75 cps possible. code, includin g fully commented source lines for maximum line size. commands per line, extens..ive output for mable Character Generator for S-IOO listings, and a comprehensive BASIC soft Moving text - moving or copying a se matting including hard and soft terminal computers. Th is new S·IOO card adds the Unit price for the Integral Impact is $745 ware package implementing all MSDV- lected block of lines from one place widths, numerical field width, tabs, over· ability to dynamically create the charac with quantity discounts available. Deliv. 100 features. TIle assembly language to another in the text. printing, decimal or hex output etc" ters generated by a video display device. ery is 30-60 days ARO. For further infor drivers allow the sophisticated user to eas· Printing - text is printed with optional string input and output with arrays auto For those who requi re special mathemati. mation, contact Integral Data Systems, ily customi ze the system for specialized page numbering and right justification. matically dimensioned, Input and Out put cal or scientific symbols, APL characters, with the documentation supplied. How. Inc., 5 Bridge Street, Watertown, applications. User specifies left margin, spacing and commands for direct I/O conlrol, Get and sub- and super-scripts, high density bar ever, Expandor does in-shop service, or MA 92 172 ; (617) 926·101 I. maximum lines per page. Top and bot· Put for access to any memory localion, graphs, gre ek letters, or game characters provides parts to the user. A 90 day war Programs are provided that permit the tom margins are set automati call y. ability to call user written subroutines such as space ships, the Programmable ranty is offered. user to link the video system to higillevel Form letters - multiple copies of a foml with unlimited numbers of arguments. Character Generator allows the creation programming languages such as BASI C. A letter, and mailing labels, may be and storage of the new characters while The Black Box Printer is 4.5"H, 13'W, link program, provided in BASIC, permits printed from name and address fil es. Also available is a powerful l-80 monitor. retaining intact the original character set. & 10"0, and weighs II Ibs. The printer the user with no knowledge of assembly It fits in lK of memory and allows the The original character se t remains avail may be pulsed character by character language programming to immediately lDSWOROI is a package consisting of user to display, verify, move, and modify able for use at any time. with the last character and line visible. VIDEO DISPLAY ob tain video output from that software. several programs. This fact is transparent memory locations, progranl EPROM's, The only option is the base and cover for The link fully implements the fonns capa· to the uscr but allows it to ru n on a com display and modify all registers, set up to Keyboard interface and dual joystick in S29.95. Otherwise, the printer is shipped The Micro Systems Development MSDV- bility of the MSOV-IOO, provides direct pu ter with 28K of memory. TIle user se 5 breakpOints, and many other feat ures. terfaces are provided on the board. The complete - ready to connect and use. De. 100 Video Display System is an 80 char cursor addreSSing, and is fully upwards lec ts the mode of operation from a menu It is supplied on a cassette which contains Programmable Character Generator is an tailed literature is available from Expan. acter, 24 line video output device for the compatible with the LSI ADM-3A video li st and the control program executes the two separate versions, one for ZOL I/O ideal addition to SOL ITM) terminals the dor, Inc., 612 Beatty Road, Monroeville, S-IOO bus. The character set includes terminal. Price of the kit is S285. Assem· appropriate program and sets control and the other for other S-IOO bus mao PolyMorphic (TM) VTI , the Proc~ssor PA 15146;(412) 373.()300. upper and lower case characters as well bled units also available. Contact: Mi cro back to select another mode. chines. Also included is a comprehensive Technology ITM) VDM· I, the Solid State as full punctuation. Any character can be Systemi, Development, 2765 So Colorado user's manual which includes the source Music ITM) Video Board, and other video underlined, and a character can also be Blvd , Suile 110, Denver, CO 80222. Documentation is cxtensive and includes listing. Price is S25.00 and delivery is diS~lay devices utilizing the Motoro made to blink at a user selectable rate, many examples and operating hints. The from stock. la TM) 9 x 7 matrix character ge nerator. often used for alarm or warning situa system is provided on a diskette. The Price for the board alone is S44.95 and in tions. Additionally , a character can be total price for the package is S250. Con For more information, dealer program kit form SI59.95. For additional details, made to appear brighter than normal or tact In te ractive Data Systems, PO and ord ers contact: HUH Electronic write Objective Design, Inc., PO to appear in reverse field (black on Box 290, Owings Mills, MD 21117; (301) Music Productions, P.O. Box 259, Fair Box 29325, Tallahassee , FL 32304. white). o 486-6945. fax, CA 94930; telephone (415) 457-7598. 60 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV-OEC 61 the implemenlation of the interpreter and polled to obtain a consensus on the ~QII..(),t.oA04Q11..Qll..oAo&o&o&Qll..o&O At the June meeting a proposal was pre sented by Allorney Kenneth Widelitz to which includes source code and object quality and appropriateness of the speci PERJODICAL GUIDE fOR MAILING LABEL SYSTEM code. Contestants should also submit COLLEGE STATION, TX, APR 21-23 create a financial basis for the establish fication. Voting results were subsequently COMPUTERISTS machine readable source and object code submitted to the ANSI Board of Stan ment of a national computer retailers Tylog Systems announces the Micro in the form of paper tape or cassette tape. On April 21-23, Texas A & M will ~~ld ils association. By mid-November, Mr Wide dards Review with rmal approval occur TIle January - June Periodical Guide [or Label System, a general purpose mailing Judging will be done by the editors of 2nd Annual Microcomputer ExpOSition at Jitz expected to have determined whether ring on September 15, 1977. Computerisls indexes 1080 articles from label system for the creation and mainte magazine. Those seriOusly interest Earl J. Rudder Tower in College Station. there was adequate interest to fonnally BYTE 23 hobby and profes.sional computer pub nance of mailing label lists and other sim For more information contact A & M establish a trade association. For details ed in entering this contest should call MUMPS has enjoyed an annual growth of lications. Articles, editorials, book re ilar label applications (such as inventory Microcomputer Club, Box M9, Aggieland, on current status of the proposed organi Carl Helmers, or Chris Mo rgan at BYTE, about 80% in numbers of new installa views. and letters from readers which bin labels, etc.). The system is designed to (603) 924-7217 in order to be included tions. In mid 1977 there were 600 or TX 77844; (7 13) 822·7118. zation, contact Kenneth S. Widelitz, have relevance 10 the personal computing be run by non-technical personnel. Ex in mailings of further infonnation about 10960 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1504, Los more institutions around the world at field are indexed by subject under 90 cat tensive documentation and procedures the contest's progress. Or write BYTE Angeles, CA 90024: (213) 477-3067. which MUMPS was used. While a large egories. The 32 page book is available are provided to facilitate operation of the Publications Inc ., 70 Main Street, Peter percentage of the user base remains medi postpaid for only $3.00 from E. Berg system. LONG BEACH, CA, APR 28-30 borough, NH 03458. cally oriented, MUMPS is finding in Publications, 1360 SW 199th Ct., Aloha, creased use in business and commercial OR 97005 or from local computer stores. The software is designed to run on an applications where its flexible interactive The Long Beach Convention Center is the TRS-80 USERS' GROUP 8080 processor using dual North Star site of PERCOMP '78. For details contact A January - December 1976 Guide is also data handling philosophy can be effec available for $3.00 postpaid. List of mag Computers' minifloppy disk drives and a tively utilized. MUMPS is currently avail Royal Exposition Management, 1833 E. The TRS-80 Users' Group is dedicated to the exchange of programs and technical azines indexed: pin feed or tractor feed impact printer. ANSI APPROVES MUMPS STANDARD able on six major computer lines. 17th St., Suite 108, Santa Ana, Additions, changes and deletions are ap· CA 92701; (714) 973-0880. Or call Dede data for the new Z-80 Based System by Byte Radio Shack. Those wishing to join the Calcu lators/Computers plied to the master fIle via CRT. The The American National Standards Insti Further infonnation on MUMPS is avail Ginter who's handling public relations, at Computer Music Joumal group may send a self-addressed stamped Micro-Label System pennits the label fLIes tute (ANSi) has approved the specifica able from Mr Richard Zapolin, MUMPS (7 14) 879·9920 (coUect calls accepted) Computer Notes to be printed in more than one sequence. tion of the MUMPS Language as an Users' Group Executive Director, MITRE for advertising and media information. envelope to: R. Gordon Uoyd, Creative Computing Error editing and restart capabilities are 7554 Southgate Rd., Fayetteville, Digital Design American National Standard. MUMPS Corporation, PO Box 208, Bedford, Dr. Dobbs Journal also provided. Each master me can hold NC 28304. thus becomes the third computer lan MA I0730. ~ 'ON over 540 records with multiple files being guage, after FORTRAN and COBOL, to Electronic Design used for longer lists. be so approved. MUMPS (the Massachu ElectroniCS Ham Radio setts General Hospital Utility MultiPro OTHER IEEE Computer Tylog warranties the software for 90 gramming System) is a general-purpose, Interface Age days. The warranty includes new release interpreted programming language de· ~Qll..o".Q,&Qll..OA~Qll..0404O&04(),t.(),t.c J Kilobaud updates at no extra charge. Maintenance signed for interactive data management - Mini-Micro Svstems contracts are available for post warranty applications. It features a comprehensive People's Computers Personal Computing!Microtrek support. Price is $500 for the standard set of operators and functions for mani GATHERINGS ASSOCIATION OF COMPlITER Popular Computing package, customized options are $40 pulation of variable-length string data, &O&Qot.Qll..Qll..o&o&o&Qot.o&QA.o&o&Qot.O RETAILERS Popular EleetroniC$ each. The Micro-Label System is also a and a symbolically referenced, hierarchi CENTRAL STANDARDS LIBRARY Radio Electronics vailable as a turnkey package, complete cally structured, shared database. secs Interface with all hardware. In June, 3040 computer store owners 73 Amateur RadiO decided to form an association of com To help solve some of the standards p.rob Development of MUMPS began in 1966 puter store owners; Dr Portia Isaacson lems in the hobbyist computer and micro For details and your nearest Tylog dealer at the Laboratory of Computer Science, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, FEB 28 - MAR 3 computer field, ALF Products is sponsor write: Tylog Systems, Inc, 9805 SW will serve as chairperson until a nalional Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, association is formed. ing a Central Standards Library. After COMPUCOLOR USERS'GROUP 152 Terrace, Miami, FL 33157. Massachusetts. By 1972 no less than six The IEEE Computer Society presents its discussions with several manufacturers dialects were in common use for educa 16th international conference, COMP There seemed to be two schools of in this field at the West Coast Computer A group of us have formed a Compucolor tional, medical, and commercial applica CON 78 SPRING, at San Francisco's Jack thought as to the primary purpose of a Faire, ALF has set up the CSL as a means Users' Group dedicated to the exchange tions. At that time, the National Center Tar Hotel on Feb. 28 - Mar 3, 1978. In national association. One was that the of standards infomlation exchange for of programs and technical data for the for Health Services Research of HEW and addition to the traditional presentation of association's primary purpose should be manufacturers, consumers, hobbyists, Compucolor. We anticipate issuing a news the National Bureau of Standards jointly papers, a special series of evening sessions to provide services that individual store and others interested in standards. The bulletin periodically. Subjects such as MICRO APL CONTEST sponsored two major efforts: the MUMPS will be aimed at computer novices who owners could not provide themselves. Library will collect submitted standards how to concatenate tapes and disks will Development Committee, charged with are non-IEEE members. Contact Examples of such services include compil and distribute them on a non·profit basis. be covered. For each accepted program BYTE Publications, Inc., has announced defining a MUMPS Standard that could COMPCON, Box 630, Silver Spring, ing industry ratios and sta tistics, circulat· For more information on available stan a member will receive in return a number 'The Great APL Interpreter Contest.' One be accepted by current users of the indi MD 20901; (301) 639·7()()7. ing a newsletter, arranging group health, da rds, on how to submit standards, and of other programs. Our present programs or more $1000 prizes will be awarded to vidual dialects; and the MUM PS Users' life, casualty, liability and workmen's on the Ubrary's services; send $1 (to include a right rectification program and authors of cOnlest entries, which must be Group whose responsibility was to pro compensation insurance, lobbying, pro cover printing and mailing costs) to: The illustrated versions of blackjack, startrek postmarked no later Ihan midnight, Feb· mote the use and availability of the vi di ng centralized legal resources and, Central Standards Library;cfo ALF Prod and slot machines. We will try to ex ruary 28, 1978. Contestants are free to MUMPS language. The MUMPS Develop· SAN JOSE, CA, MAR 3-5 perhaps most importantly, provid ing ucts Inc.; 128 S. Taft; Denver CO 80228. change recorded media rather than pro write their interpreters for any micro ment Committee, which now serves as clout with manufacturers. The other You will receive a copy of the first CSt gram listings. An initial membership fee processor they choose. Entries will, how· sponsor and development body for The 2nd West Coast Computer Fa1re will school of thought was that the primary Newsletter and the first submitted stan of $10.00 covers cost of duplicating and ever, be judged on their suitability for use MUMPS, completed the Standard specifi be held at the San Jose Convention Cen purpose of the association would be to dard (a parallel interface standard). Manu mailing materials. For further informa on small systems with a minimum of 16K cation in September, 1975. This specifica ter, San Jose, CA March 3-5. Details are develop high standards among computer facturers currently participating include: tion send a large SASE to Stan Pro, S.P. bytes of memory, as well as on program tion was submitted to ANSI fo r approval available from Faire Chairbeing Jim retailers. Dr Isaacson notes that these ALF Products, IMSAI Manufacturing, Electronics, 5250 Van Nuys Blvd., Van ming elegance and efficient use of space. via the canvass method. Under this pro Warren, (415) 851-7664, or write The two schools of thought are not mutually PolyMorphic Systems, Proko ElectroniCS, Nuys, CA 91401. 0 Entries must be in the form of a publica cedure, all groups having a substantive Computer Faire, Box 1579, Palo Alto, exclusive and are actually quite com Vector Graphic, and Video Terminal tion quality manuscript which describes interest in the proposed standard were CA 94302. patible. Technology . 62 PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS NOV·DEC 63