Excerpt from Spectrum of Computer Systems The diagram (exhibit 1) represents a continmnlwith each of the arbitrary points identified shading in to others on the line. In generai it is probably fair to say that as one moves to the right the cost and complexity of the hardware/software system increase and the man/machine interaction becomes higher. The software (execu tive routine) becomes more complex as the computer is given the task of allocating its own facilities in an effort to remove the human operating element and increase the'speed. Thus the executive becomes more complex as the response time is reduced and the efficiency of the main processor becomes greater. In practice, however, the response time is always situationally oriented and is a function of such things as the number of users on-line at the time; type of request; size of the data files; and so forth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.