This is "IoT" and "the cloud", circa 44 years ago > Chaosnet was originally developed in 1975 > The Lisp Machine system is a multi-processor in which each act

This is "IoT" and "the cloud", circa 44 years ago > Chaosnet was originally developed in 1975 > The Lisp Machine system is a multi-processor in which each active user is assigned a "personal" computer consisting of a medium-scale processor, a suitable amount of memory, and a swapping disk. Files are stored in a central file-system accessed through Chaosnet. This shared file-system retains the traditional advantages of a time-sharing system, namely inter-user communication, shared programs, and centralized backup and maintenance. At the same time, by giving each active user his own processor, the Lisp Machine system is much more capable than a time-sharing system at executing Lisp programs several million words in size efficiently and with rapid interactive response. Because Chaosnet is taking the place of the file disk in a conventional system, it must be fast (both in response and in throughput), it must be reliable (this is the reason why there is no centralized control), and it must allow connection of several dozen machines. However, it does not need to operate over long distances. Chaosnet is used to access other shared resources in addition to the file system; these include printers, tape drives, and one-of-a-kind specialized processors and I/O devices.