time-sharing-computing

This chapter discusses the implementation and use of a time-sharing computer system (DTSS) to simulate a football game, illustrating how human users interact with the computer to call plays and receive results. It highlights the efficiency of the system, where minimal computing time is used while providing extended interactive experience, and introduces a new feature allowing multiple users to connect simultaneously to the same program for collaborative or competitive purposes. The chapter also briefly mentions potential educational applications and begins a technical description of the DTSS system.

This chapter provides a detailed technical description of the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System (DTSS) hardware and its performance characteristics. It explains the architecture involving user terminals, communication computers, and central processors, highlighting the system's capacity to handle multiple simultaneous users through time-sharing. The chapter also addresses the system's efficiency, including the distribution of computing time among user jobs, executive services, and idle periods, and discusses the implications of idle time in time-sharing systems.

The chapter discusses the anticipated expansion and technological challenges of future national communication systems to support millions of home computers by 1990. It analyzes the required communication and central processing capacities, estimating the number of processors needed and projecting improvements in computer speed and cost reductions. The author emphasizes the balance between technological feasibility and economic affordability in deploying widespread computer terminals for home use.