The Program of a Large Computation Center

There has been a considerable amount of discussion among members of the computing fraternity regarding the administration of computing: the selection of the program of a computation center, the right way to run the laboratory, and the area of responsibility for the validity of results. There are some computer laboratory directors, for example, who hold that the responsibilities of a computing extend only to the correct performance of arithmetic operations, and that the adequacy of the mathematical formulation of problems and suitability of the choice of numerical methods rest squarely on the shoulders of the client. Others admit that mathematical assistance to clients is desirable, but insist that the mathematicians' place is not in the machine room, which is to be considered sacred territory accessible only to a few chosen acolytes, mainly engineers.