25 Terminals To Arrive At Harvard By Vacation

Twenty-five new computer terminals will be installed in the Science Center before winter recess and the second of two new computers will be ready for use this week officials said yesterday.

The new machines will go into the recently remodeled Extension School terminal room. Workers last week started to build office rooms in the previously open space.

The Science Center will now hold about 125 terminals attached to five computers.

Harvard acquired the equipment in response to complaints that current facilities were inadequate. But students interviewed yesterday were skeptical about the benefits.

The two new computers--VAX/11750s--will be available only for the students in the advanced courses Computer Science 161. "Operating Systems Architecture" and Computer Science 180. "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence."

But those enrolled in the much larger Computer Science 10. "Introduction to Programming" and Computer Science 11. "Computers, Algorithms and Programs" will still be limited to the older machines--two PDP71/70s and a VAX11/780--which combined can accommodate about 130 students.

The two introductory courses have more than 600 students. The advanced ones have fewer than 200.

Computer Science 11 student Eryck Brady '87 said that he noticed no difference in the waiting time since the installation of the first computer about three weeks ago.

Kirk L. White '87, another Computer Science 11 student, said that the new terminals "may help with waiting time but not with log-in time."

Students in advanced computer science courses, such as Penny Rheingan '85 of CS 161, have noticed the new addition. "I find the computer to be faster and easier to get on," Rheingan said.

The terminals were supposed to arrive on October 30, according to Science Center Director Lewis A. Law, but he added that ordering delays slowed down the process.

The installation of the new terminals, similar to the installation of the new computers, will not require a shut-down of the system, Law said.

Instead, Law added, workers have to go through the "painful process" of installing the terminals without interfering with students' computer work.

The computers were purchased from the Digital Equipment Corporation at an undisclosed cost less than the list price of $200,000 and are part of the Faculty's plans to significantly increase spending on computers.

Harvard officials are moving to decentralize and modernize their computer system in line with modern technology over the next live or 10 years by replacing the large terminal room in the Science Center with a series of connecting personal computers dispersed around campus.