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From: ron@Brl-Tgr.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re:  Micros for universities.
Message-ID: <240@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Mar-84 14:19:15 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.240
Posted: Fri Mar 23 14:19:15 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 26-Mar-84 21:13:23 EST
Lines: 25

From:      Ron Natalie <ron@Brl-Tgr.ARPA>

Yes, what you describe is what we refer to as the Library approach
to computer science.  It's how it works here at the Laboratory.
Everyone gets a terminal and enough computer time to keep them happy.
Johns Hopkins University used to be like that.  Used to be that just
by asking the right people you could get as much free time as you
wanted on either the DEC-10 (TOPS-10) or an 11/45 (UNIX) depending on
your preferences.  Hopkins produced some really nice software for both
machines outside of any of the normal (and scarce) computer science
curriculum.  Lots of us became the UNIX gurus this way (and we put
out a few TOPS-10 gurus as well).  Unfortunately a policy change
several years ago essentially locked up the academic computer resources
by attaching price tags to everything and abolishing the gratis "I want
to learn about the computer" accounts.  Too bad, the interesting advancements
Hopkins was making has all but died out and they aren't graduating too
many of the shining star computer gurus anymore.

There latest attempt to make up for this was to can plans to network the
university together and launch into doing everything with a bunch of
PC350's that DEC unloaded on them at bargain prices.  They are now
beginning to realize that theyare having a distribution problem with
a hundred micros.

-Ron