% This is really ancient history.  The days of applications.  Should
% mention how giving out accounts on Multics evolved from the days of
% paper applications to a more automatic approach.  Should describe the
% endless hours of boredom & meeting arguments that have occured.  In
% the later days of Multics, applications only were really needed for
% exceptional use of Multics or VMA.  Should mention how VMA is still a
% function of the SIPB, and perhaps also talk about Athena grad.
% accounts.
% Feb 1985:  2288 registered accounts. (cumulative?)
% Oct 1986:   650 active accounts.

\section{Accounts}
One of the major purposes of SIPB has been to fund applications for
computer accounts on Multics and other computers.  Over the past 10
years, the SIPB has processed many applications for computer accounts.

\subsection{Multics Accounts}
Before 1984 and the onset of Project Athena, the SIPB provided the
primary access to computing for the MIT student community.  In the
early 1980's, we were processing 1300 applications per year, for 1000
individuals.  Project Athena, after opening up the Student Center
cluster, relieved much of this load by providing accounts to all
undergraduates.  This still left graduate students without general
computer access, and we still had 650 active accounts in 1986.

The application process originally worked as follows. Any member of
the MIT community could obtain funding from the SIPB by coming to our
office and filling out a simple application.  On this application, the
applicant provided a brief description of her proposed project.
Common projects included learning computer languages or systems,
writing scientific or engineering applications programs, preparing
term papers, resumes, and letters, and doing statistical analyses.

After the user had completed the application, a Board member
tried to determine the most appropriate computer system and the
estimated cost for the project.  If the Board member who took
the application decided that it clearly followed our funding
policies, the application would be approved immediately.  In this
case, a computer account would be set up, and the applicant could
usually begin working on his project the same day.  Most
applications were approved in this fashion.

Certain applications were not covered under our policies.  Such
applications would be deferred until the next weekly meeting when they
could be brought to the attention of the full Board.  Applications
falling into certain categories (for example, applications from
organizations) would be automatically deferred to a meeting.  In addition,
any application that brought the total allocation for a user in the
current fiscal year over a certain limit had to be considered at a
meeting.

One of the important projects in the 1982-1985 time frame was the
automation of the application process.  The paper forms created a lot of 
menial work for SIPB members, such as form filing and data entry
to activate the accounts.  By 1985, the forms were replaced by an
online database.  SIPB members could take applications online,
typing users' answers directly into the database.  This change made
Multics account management much easier and less time-consuming.

\subsection{MITVMA Accounts}
Besides Multics accounts, the SIPB has provided a smaller number of
MITVMA accounts to MIT students.  The accounting system on MITVMA has
several deficiencies that discourage our use of MITVMA. It does not
allow us to set limits on individual accounts, nor does it have any
mechanism to log users out after spending more money than available.
This primitive account system and the arcane user interface of VM/CMS
has meant that we provide VM accounts only for purposes that cannot be
satisfied anywhere else.  Typical reasons for MITVMA accounts have
been direct BITNET access, using statistical packages or accessing
numerical FORTRAN libraries unique to VM/CMS.  With the introduction
in 1992 of the Unix-BITNET gateway, we expect less demand for VM
accounts.

\subsection{Grduate Student Access to Athena}
The demise of Multics in 1988 removed our primary resource for serving
graduate students.  Because of the limitations of MITVMA, we lobbied
Project Athena to give computer access to graduate students.  Due to
limited resources, Project Athena could not handle the additional
load, but we did get the right to provide a limited number of graduate
student accounts on Athena.  Between 1988 and Fall 1989, we sponsored
134 graduate student accounts on Project Athena before access
was granted to all graduate students.
