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From: chenr@tilt.FUN (Ray Chen)
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.college
Subject: Re: Free and undirected campus computing facilities
Message-ID: <207@tilt.FUN>
Date: Fri, 16-Nov-84 17:11:22 EST
Article-I.D.: tilt.207
Posted: Fri Nov 16 17:11:22 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Nov-84 12:25:48 EST
References: <457@utcsrgv.UUCP> <649@watdcsu.UUCP>, <425@watcgl.UUCP>
Organization: Princeton University EECS Dept
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Xref: princeton net.micro:798 net.college:157

>From Hugh Redelmeier:
>I presume the current generation uses its own personal computers.

Yep, as a member of the "current generation", I can definitely say that
a VAX makes a pretty nice personal computer, although a 750 is a little
slow (:-) ?).

As for free computing, I'm all for it.  It benefits everybody.  The people
using the machines learn a lot, have resources available to try out new
ideas, and the company donating the machines ends up with a group of
people who are whatever-gods.  A word to any corporate types out there.
In order to make this sort of thing successful, though, the people have
to be willing to live on your machine.  If it's a dog, then no matter
how much you push it on people, the good ones will look elsewhere until
they find something more to their liking.  Not only that, but if you expect
people to hack, and hence, learn about your machine, you'll have to give
them something to hack on -- source code.  Unix, for example, would be
a real pain without source.  Imagine trying to fix all the bugs...
Even if you never have to look at any of it, it's nice to know it's there.

	Ray Chen
	princeton!tilt!chenr