Abstract: This paper describes the design goals, micro- architecture, and implementation of the microprogrammed processor for a compact high performance personal computer. This computer supports a range of high level language environments and high bandwidth I/O devices. Besides the processor, it has a cache, a memory map, main storage, and an instruction fetch unit; these are described in other papers. The processor can be shared among 16 microcoded tasks, performing microcode context switches on demand with essentially no overhead. Conditional branches are done without any lookahead or delay. Microinstructions are fairly tightly encoded, and use an interesting variant on control field sharing. The processor implements a large number of internal registers, hardware stacks, a cyclic shifter/masker, and an arithmetic/logic unit, together with external data paths for instruction fetching, memory interface, and I/O, in a compact, pipe-lined organization.The machine has a 50 ns microcycle, and can execute a simple macroinstruction in one cycle; the available I/O bandwidth is 640 Mbits/sec. The entire machine, including disk, display and network interfaces, is implemented with approximately 3000 MSI components, mostly ECL 10K; the processor is about 35% of this. In addition there are up to 4 storage modules, each with about 300 16K or 64K RAMS and 200 MSI components, for a total of 8 Mbytes. Several prototypes are currently running.

Abstract: An automatic analysis system is described which enables the quantitation of the static distribution of loads under the foot by the use of a PET personal computer. Its use is illustrated by the results of analysis procedures carried out on normal and deformed feet.

Abstract: DoradoLisp is an implementation of the Interlisp programming system on a large personal computer. It has evolved from AltoLisp, an implementation on a less powerful machine. The major goal of the Dorado implementation was to eliminate the performance deficiencies of the previous system. This paper describes the current status of the system and discusses some of the issues that arose during its implementation. Among the techniques that helped us meet our performance goal were transferring much of the kernel software into Lisp, intensive use of performance measurement tools to determine the areas of worst performance, and use of the Interlisp programming environment to allow rapid and widespread improvements to the system code. The paper lists some areas in which performance was critical and offers some observations on how our experience might be useful to other implementations of Interlisp.

Abstract: The personal computer of the future will offer its owner an information manipulation system. It will be a totally integrated system being able to manipulate text (prose or programs), graphical objects, sound and other information structures.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To provide a character broadcast receiver with the same functions that a personal computer has, by providing control ROM programmed for the personal computer in addition to control ROM programmed for character broadcast reception. CONSTITUTION:Control ROM20 consists of character broadcasting control ROM201 and personal computer control ROM202, and control RAM211 consists of control RAM for character broadcasting, user's program RAM for the personal computer, and control RAM. When change-over switch 26 is placed at the ROM201 side, the microcomputer operates according character broadcast receiving parts of ROM201 and RAM211 to perform character broadcast reception. With switch 26 at the ROM202 side, the microcomputer operates according to parts for ROM202 and RAM211 personal computer to perform personal computer operation.

Abstract: A method is presented for solving field problems using a finite element formulation, to be executed with the aid of a micro-computer. In order to reduce the requirements regarding memory space, the coefficients of the matrix defining the system of equations are not stored, but calculated when they are needed, in a modification of the usual finite element procedure. The method is applicable to all problems for which Gauss–Seidel iteration converges, and can handle problems involving more than 100 degrees-of-freedom on a computer with 8,000 bytes memory. Computing time may run up to several minutes per cycle of iteration, but on a small, personal computer, this is still acceptable.

Abstract: In the use of electric response audiometry, reliance is usually placed on the operator to decide whether an electric response to a sound stimulus is present or not. This paper describes the interfacing of a Commodore PET personal computer to a common clinical recording system (Medelec MS6) to enable the electric response waveforms to be transferred to the computer for machine scoring. The computer is used to compare two repetitions of the response by calculating the correlation between them and the ratio of signal to noise (defined as the ratio of the variance of the sum of the two waveforms to the variance of the difference). A high correlation or signal to noise ratio gives a response present score. A small evaluation on ten subjects, using the slow vertex response to establish subjective hearing threshold, shows that the machine scoring technique has a similar performance to three human scorers.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To monitor continuously a titled system even if trouble is generated on the master monitor device by using a slave monitor device, by installing a control section on the slave monitor device, which provides almost the same functions as the control section of the master monitor device. CONSTITUTION:Many kinds of commands are sent to each slave monitor device 21 and 22 from a personal computer (PC)11 of a master monitor device 1. The slave monitor device 21 and 22 measure according to the contents of command and sends the measured data to a device 1. In case, trouble is generated on the device 1 and the device can not control the device 21 and 22, a command from a PC24 of the device 21 is transmitted to the other slave monitor device 22. As described here, trouble is generated on the device 1, the slave monitor device operates as a master monitor device. Then, the circuit condition can continuously be monitored.

Abstract: “A National Educational TV Series at Pre-College Level for Personal Computing and Computer Literacy”, David C. Rine, Western Illinois University.Under grants from the IEEE Computer Society, The Johns Hopkins University, Radio Shack and other agencies, the International Instructional TV Cooperative, source of instructional TV materials to all educational TV networks nation-wide and internationally, has finished and is marketing the implementation of a six-course national educational TV series aimed at the pre-college level in the area of personal computing and computer literacy. The name of the project is “Personal Computing: An Adventure of the Mind”.The objectives of this new series are to illustrate the uses of personal computing, to demonstrate the interface of humans and machines, to identify the fundamentals of communication in personal computing, and to motivate students to be innovative in their own applications of personal computing. Since the personal computer is viewed by many as a mind multiplier, a further objective of this educational TV series is to greatly increase the number of minds that can be multiplied, by taking Personal Computing to millions of children in classrooms across the country.Education and informational programs are closely allied in that both attempt to communicate facts, concepts, and ideas. Both need to be designed with specific objectives in mind. Some of the objectives to be discussed are both attitudinal and informational in nature; that is, they deal with feelings as well as facts. The underlying thrust throughout is that . . . LEARNING CAN BE FUN!

Abstract: An Apple II, a 6502 microprocessor based personal computer, is currently being used to record and analyze data from isolated nerve preparations. The system was designed to provide low cost data handling capabilities in the research laboratory.

Abstract: The personal computer of the future will offer its owner an i nformation m anipulation s ystem (IMS). It will be a totally integrated system being able to manipulate arbitrary information structures, eg programs, prose, graphical objects and sound.An IMS will be an important step towards achieving the goal that we can do all our work on-line -- placing in computer store all of our specifications, plans, designs, programs, docummentation, reports, memos, bibliography and reference notes and doing all of our scratch work, planning, designing, debugging and most of our intercommunication via the consoles.We outline the basic principles underlying the design of an IMS. We discuss the cognitive dimensions (specifically for text processing and programming systems) which should serve as the design criteria for systems whose goal is to reduce the cognitive burden and augment the capabilities of a human user.

Abstract: The Pilot operating system provides a single-user, single-language environment for higher level software on a powerful personal computer. Its features include virtual memory, a large "fiat" file system, streams, network communication facilities, and concurrent programming support. Pilot thus provides rather more powerful facilities than are normally associated with personal computers. The exact facilities provided display interesting similarities to and differences from corresponding facilities provided in large multi-user systems. Pilot is implemented entirely in Mesa, a high- level system programming language. The modularization of the implementation displays some interesting aspects in terms of both the static structure and dynamic interactions of the various components. Key Words and Phrases: personal computer, operating system, high-level language, virtual memory, file, process, network, modular programming, system structure CR Categories: 4.32, 4.35, 4.42, 6.20 I. Introduction As digital hardware becomes less expensive, more resources can be devoted to providing a very high grade of interactive service to computer users. One important expression of this trend is the personal computer. The dedication of a substantial computer to each individual user suggests an operating system design emphasizing

Abstract: The paper describes a non-credit course being offered through the School of Adult Education at McMaster University. The aim of the course is to familiarize members of the general public with what home computers can do for them and to provide the knowledge needed for the selection and purchase of a personal computer.

Abstract: It is the thesis of this short note that a network which operates by passing a control token sequentially around a loop, much like that of the Distributed Computing System [FARB 73, FARB 75] is appropriate for at least two forthcoming kinds of local personal computer networks. High end personal scientific computers will probably require very high bandwidth (50 Mhz) local networks, a requirement well suited for a token type ring network. At the other end of the spectrum, a low bandwidth (300 baud) network for low cost home or business personal computers may be established that use the conventional phone system and a variation of the token ring for arbitration.

Abstract: In this paper we will detail the JOYCE hardware/software design decisions, cost, status and our plans for continued system development. We examine its features in light of some scheduled applications including CAI (a stand alone PLATO system), database management, electronic mail, etc.We will also detail our experiences relating to the acquisition of components necessary for the realization of JOYCE, including delivery delays, vendor promises and the gap between vendor product (chip, etc.) actual operation and documented operational descriptions.

Abstract: The need to maintain multiple versions of documents arises in many different situations. For example, software producers may desire to maintain multiple copies of manuals, one for beginners unfamiliar with computers, and another for experienced users. Scientists may have to produce reports in two forms, one for management and another for technical personnel. Elected officials answering constituents' mail on a particular issue like to be able to tailor their response to the perspective of the letter writer. In general, tailoring computer-generated text to different audiences is an important problem, but one which is scarcely addressed by most text-formatting programs.LETTER attacks this problem by providing a high-level language for creating multiple versions. Input to LETTER is in two parts, a profile and a manuscript. LETTER uses information from the profile to decide how to print each copy requested in the manuscript. The profile consists of information about the readers of the document. The manuscript consists of the text of the document, along with directive expressions. These include directives which cause information to be copied from the profile into the document, conditional expressions which depend on information in the profile, and looping directives which cause multiple copies of the document to be produced.LETTER is written in Pascal, and is designed to be portable. The initial version has been developed on a PDP-10, but we plan to install it on a small personal computer in the near future.

Abstract: This paper describes a method for measuring very small transmission loss of impulsive signals. The correlative fluctuations within input and output signals are eliminated effectively by the analog simultaneous differencer. The difference and normal signals are alternately sampled and accumulated by the digitizer and the microcomputer, that is, the microcomputer 2-channels box-car integrator is realized. The difference and normal accumulated data are transferred to the personal computer, which calculates the ratio of the difference to normal accumulated data, i.e. the estimated attenuation in nepers. By the experiments of electrical and optical impulse transmissions, the minimum measurable attenuations become respectively 2.7×10(-4)NP and 6.0×10(-4)Np. Even the latter value is the smallest so far as the authors know.

Abstract: LISP is the second oldest computer-programming language still in active use. Our implementation is based on a powerful microprogrammed processor designed specifically for LISP. This processor supports a tagged macro-architecture; it manipulates items which have a built-in data-type field.The system supports several important new storage-management features, including a real-time garbage collector with hardware assist (using the basic algorithm of Baker).The software itself is written in LISP to a much larger extent than in previous systems. In fact, there are only two levels in which code is written: LISP and microcode. Among other things this improves the consistancy of system interfaces.The system design incorporates the personal computer philosophy. We believe the personal computer will predominate in the future since it is preferable to time-sharing in most cases and technological trends are greatly reducing its cost penality. In the case of very large programs, the personal computer can be cost-effective today, due to the phenomenon of thrashing encountered in time-sharing systems.