Computer input of forms

Abstract

The original impetus behind the work reported here was a conviction that the storage and retrieval of information, granted computer support, did not really have to be as complex as it now is. The ordinary user, the non-programmer, could and should be provided with the kind of support that would enable him to create his own input, manage his own files, and formulate his own queries. In many cases, the user might willingly exchange efficiency of processing, and perhaps some of the machine's capabilities, for the convenience of obtaining simplicity of input, latitude for a variety of information, a degree of generality in the organization of the stored data, absence of coding incompatibilities, and some facility for unpremeditated retrieval.