Interactive systems: promises, present and future

Abstract

In recent years, "interactive" systems have become synonymous with "time-shared" systems for most people. Time-sharing has been emphasized by those interested in providing interactive (online) access to a computer. On the other hand, there are a number of other kinds of systems that provide interactive service. First, there are systems like SAGE and the airline reservation systems (Ref., for example). These are single-purpose systems providing the capability for users to communicate directly with a computer to accomplish a well-defined task. Then there are the numerous third-generation operating systems, generally considered to be multiprogrammed systems. There is an increasing tendency for these systems to provide an interactive capability to some set of users.