Abstract
For computers to be truly useful in the home of the future, they should be programmable by their users. The traditional idea of a program must be abandoned in favour of that of an environment of objects; programming becomes the act of augmenting this environment, and all interaction consists of evaluating expressions in it. Developments in language design and software engineering indicate how this very uniform interface might be possible, though this style of use imposes some difficult requirements. In the right such environment simple programming can yield useful results and lead to greater understanding both of the programming process and of the problem being approached. Such a powerful system could be used in three main areas: the local manipulation of data, including games and simulations; device control, which can be sophisticated and energy-conserving; and to communicate with other systems. This last possibility leads us to discuss several uses including mailing, teleconferencing, and access to databases of various kinds. Some social effects of the widespread availability of computer power are indicated.
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