Personalizing large computers

Abstract

Many of us in the computing field who have been accustomed to using time-sharing systems on mini and maxi computers are not yet ready to give up our access to large interactive systems in favor of a personal computer. Personal computers simply do not provide the diversity of software and data available through a good time-sharing facility. However, as computing professionals we realize that personal computers will become a larger part of our work and that we ought to have one in our office. How can we reasonably justify personal computers and bridge the gap between our past experience and the newer technology? Obviously we must provide the incentive of offering better interactive access to maxi computers through a microcomputer. In this case, "better" can mean faster, cheaper, and more friendly computing.