At first glance, devoting so much time and money to reproducing a computer available on the open market seemed sheer profligacy. But from Taylor’s point of view, the assignment to produce a real machine had given his engineers a unique opportunity to parse out their own strengths and weaknesses in ways Taylor could never have devised himself. What emerged at the end of the program was a seamless, remarkably powerful unit. “In a small group the dynamics are like those on a good basketball team,” Kay observed. “Everybody has to be able to play the whole game. Each person should have certain
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