HEWITT%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA (12/20/83)
Ron,
I believe that you have painted a misleading picture of a complex situation.
>From talking to participants involved, I believe that MITI is
funding the Japanese Fifth Generation Project primarily for commercial
competitive advantage. In particular they hope to compete with IBM
more effectively than as plug-compatible manufacturers. MITI also
hopes to increase Japanese intellectual prestige. Congress is funding
Strategic Computing to maintain and strengthen US military and
commercial technology. A primary motivation for strengthening the
commercial technology is to meet the Japanese challenge.Newman.es@PARC-MAXC.ARPA (12/21/83)
From: Ron Newman <Newman.es@PARC-MAXC.ARPA> Are we really in disagreement? It seems pretty clear from my quotes, and from numerous writings on the subject, that the Japanese intend to use the Fifth Generation Project to strengthen their position in commercial markets. We don't disagree there. It also seems clear that, as you say, "Congress is funding a project called Strategic Computing to maintain and strengthen US military and commercial technology." That should be parsed as "Military technology first, with hopes of commercial spinoff." If you think that's a misleading distortion, read the DARPA Strategic Computing Report. Pages 21 through 29 contain detailed specifications of the requirements of three specific military applications. There is no equivalent specification of non-military application requirements--only a vague statement on page 9 that commercial spinoffs will occur. Military requirements and terminology permeate the entire report. If the U.S. program is aimed at military applications, that's what it will produce. Any commercial or industrial spinoff will be incidental. If we are serious about strengthening commercial computer technology, then that's what we should be aiming for. As you say, that's certainly what the Japanese are aiming for. Isn't it about time that we put our economic interests first, and the military second? /Ron
Hewitt%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP (12/22/83)
Ron, For better or worse, I do not believe that you can determine what will be the motivations or structure of either the MITI Fifth Generation effort or the DARPA Strategic Computing effort by citing chapter and verse from the two reports which you have quoted. /Carl