CONVERSATION WITH A COMPUTER

There's an anthropomorphic appeal to some of the colloquies between man and machine at the Kiewit Computation Center.

For instance, a computer user turns a remote unit on and types out the word "HELLO" to get the machine's attention. It's more efficient than "HI THERE" or "HOW ARE YOU?" And yet it has more warmth than a simple number code such as "12345" would. But it's a North Country Yankee machine and has little time for further pleasantries. It types right back, "USER NUMBER." It wants to know who is calling before getting emotional. The user then types out his number. If he's a student, he uses his ID card number; if a faculty or staff member he uses a special number that has been assigned him. All staff and faculty members have such a number, whether or not they know it. Having decided the call is legitimate and the appropriate department can be billed for the computer's service, the computer then asks what language they are to converse in by typing "SYSTEM." The user replies by typing "BASIC" or "FORTRAN" or "ALGOL" or some such.

The computer then asks, in effect, whether the user wishes to work with an "OLD OR NEW" program. If the user seeks information dealing with a previously submitted program, he types "OLD." If he asks some new subject, he types "NEW." The computer asks for "PROGRAM NAME" at this point and the user either gives the "OLD" name or coins a "NEW" one.

Then - and only then - does the computer type "READY." This means, "All right, go ahead. It's your dime."