Decus Proceedings

Summary

This document is a collection of technical papers and presentations from the 1963 meetings of the Digital Equipment Computer Users Society (DECUS). It focuses on advancements in computing, primarily concerning the PDP-1, PDP-4, and the use of digital computers in research and time-sharing environments.

The proceedings are divided into five main sections:

• Time Sharing: Discusses the fundamental concepts and implementations of time-sharing, including a keynote address on "Command of Procedures" by Dr. J.C.R. Licklider, and reports on time-sharing systems at Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN), Stanford, System Development Corporation (SDC), and M.I.T.'s Project MAC.
• Utility Programs and Techniques: Covers programming tools such as improvements to the DDT debugging program, "invisible" debuggers for time-sharing systems, and methods for symbolic modification of programs at compile time.
• Problem Oriented Techniques: Features papers on using the PDP-1 for specialized tasks, including nuclear research data processing, spark-chamber data analysis, speech research, number theory, and graphical display programs.
• Hardware and Input-Output Techniques: Details hardware provisions for efficient time-sharing, Microtape features, graphical data input devices, and hybrid computation facilities for research.
• Appendix: Contains the programs for the 1963 Spring and Annual meetings, attendance lists, and an index of authors and speakers.