ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR)
Communications of the ACM
Software Tools
BCPL: a tool for compiler writing and system programming
AFIPS '69 (Spring) Proceedings of the May 14-16, 1969, spring joint computer conference
The RAND intelligent terminal agent (RITA) as a network access aid
AFIPS '76 Proceedings of the June 7-10, 1976, national computer conference and exposition
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An interactive application program running on the PDP11 UNIX time-sharing system is described. This program allows files describing sets of objects to be searched, and each object evaluated against a selection expression. Objects satisfying the expression are kept in primary storage as sets (linked lists), and the user can delete or move objects from one set to another under control of other interactively composed selection criteria. The system thereby "assists" the user's decision making process. Examples of objects might include people, machines, rooms, organizations, cities and tasks. The program itself is not revolutionary in concept, although it does take some ideas from artificial intelligence. However, its rapid and evolutionary development on a minicomputer shows how highly accessible and affordable computers with good software production tools can bring the computer, as a decision making aid, to organizations not previously able to make effective use of computation. Furthermore, the utilization of advanced software tools has permitted a flexible English-like man-machine interface to be developed, allowing use by computer-naive managers.