Decus Proceedings

Summary:

This document is the official proceedings from the Fall 1966 Symposium of the Digital Equipment Computer Users' Society (DECUS), held on November 4–5, 1966, at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California.

The publication contains papers and presentations covering various aspects of early computing, with a strong focus on Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) hardware, particularly the PDP series (PDP-5, PDP-6, PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-8/S, and PDP-10). Key themes include:

• Time-Sharing Systems: Several papers discuss the practical implementations and challenges of time-sharing, including the JOSS (JOHNNIAC Open Shop System), the BBN On-Line Programming System, and specific applications on the PDP-7 and PDP-6.
• System Architecture & Interfaces: Technical details are provided regarding hardware interfaces (such as MEMTIE, which connects a PDP-6 to a PDP-1 for shared memory) and methods for handling I/O, memory protection, and data collection.
• Applications: The proceedings highlight real-world scientific applications of these machines, including nuclear counting, the analysis of photographic data, and hospital data management.
• Organizational Information: The document includes a preface by the DECUS Executive Secretary, a welcome address by Winston R. Hindle (Digital Equipment Corporation), the symposium program, an index of authors and speakers, and a comprehensive list of meeting attendees.

Overall, the proceedings provide a snapshot of the technical landscape and the user community's efforts to advance interactive computing and system efficiency in the mid-1960s.