In the January 1983 issue of the Annals (Volume 5, Number 1), we published the "Final Report of the SPREAD Task Group, December 28, 1961." In the same issue were an introduction by Bob O. Evans and the edited transcript of a discussion by several members of the original SPREAD Task Group with Annals editors held on June 23, 1982. The following are comments by four authors in response to the SPREAD material.

This report recommends a new (in 1961) family of compatible processors for the IBM product line.

The subject of computer architecture as currently taught in most computer engineering and computer science programs is a mixture of architectural principles, organizational strategies, and implementation techniques. This blurring of the hierarchy of system levels that characterize the structure of a computer has made it very difficult for students ( and. often instructors as well) to determine what were the forces that led to the design decisions they have seen reflected in machines.