Project MAC

Project MAC was a computer development endeavor in the 1960s; its pioneering exploration of the working methods of multiple-user access became a foundation for modern computer networking and online collaboration.

Founded in 1963 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Project MAC was the name given to the task of developing a “control and command” system for the U.S. government. The innovation of computer scientist J.C.R. Licklider, Project MAC was funded by the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), as well as by the National Science Foundation. It was first directed by Robert M. Fano. The goal established by ARPA was to enable decisions to be made swiftly and disseminated to many locations. For example, a military officer could notify dispersed troops of an important decision simultaneously.

The acronym “MAC” had several meanings, highlighting the multiple motives of the project. “Machine-Aided Cognition” stood for the broad objective of Project MAC's creators, who desired a way to make computers more useful than previous machines that were used to perform calculations. “Multiple-Access Computer” explained the mechanism for achieving the creators' aforementioned goal of allowing many users admittance and access to one computer's programs. “Project” was used, rather than “laboratory,” to inspire individuals at MIT to join the effort without disaffiliating themselves from their current laboratories.

According to the National Research Council (NRC), the project's acronym also stood for “Man and Computer.” The NRC credits Project MAC with changing the role and environment of computers, allowing software applications to be developed to aid in tasks and run on minicomputers instead of large mainframes.

Project MAC contributed to a concept known as the Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS), which permits multiple users at dispersed terminals to run programs centrally located on one machine. The focus on building the CTSS was supported by Licklider. According to Technology Review writer M. Mitchell Waldrop, Licklider believed that dividing computer time among users would facilitate greater efficiency of the technology. Cost reduction and time savings also fueled the development of the system; many users could share one large computer, instead of many users employing many small machines.

Within six months of Project MAC's creation, 200 users were able to access the system in ten different MIT departments. By 1967, Project MAC became its own interdepartmental laboratory, separated from its [Page 381]earlier Department of Electrical Engineering home. Further development of Project MAC evolved into the 1969 creation of Multics, the “Multiplexed Information and Computing Service,” which advanced from computer time-sharing into an online computer system. Multics, which was developed by Project MAC through the combined efforts of Bell Labs and General Electric, incorporated features such as file sharing and management, and system security into its design. The complex system could support 300 simultaneous users on 1,000 MIT terminals.

Project MAC became the Laboratory for Computer Science (LCS) at MIT in 1976, and broadened its focus. According to a 1970s MIT brochure, lab director Michael L. Dertouzos explained the expanding goals of the LCS to include three principal areas in computer science and engineering. Dertouzos pushed for developing more intelligent programs to run on the computer systems. In addition, to promote computer use, the laboratory would study how to develop cost effective, user-friendly systems, and would also explore the theoretical foundations in computer science that sought to understand limitations on space and time. Advancing the role of the computer system, the LCS focused on creating applications that would foster online computing in several academic disciplines, including architecture, biology, medicine, and library sciences.

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