The "Does-All" Doesn't.

JF Ptak Science Books   Quick Post

I'll get right to it: there was no program called the "Does-All".  This was an ironic suggestion for the name of a program to illustrate this slightly lengthy and relaxed introduction¹ to computers (hardware and software) written by A. James Dukes of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps at Fort Detrick². He has a very light pen and a good sense of humor, and writes with a great deal of clarity, and given the time period and his place of business (!) I'd say it was about the funniest intro to compsci that I've seen in the relatively early stuff. Dukes spends the first dozen pages or so on the hardware, with the remainder dedicated to writing programs--the writing is filled with insight and analogies.

Charming, really.  

Notes:

 1. A. James Dukes. Does-All.  U.S. Army Chemical Corps, Fort Detrick, Maryland. This 11x8 inch mimeographed/stapled publication does not have a date of publication, but as near as I can determine it was assembled in the early 1960's.  It does mention several computers by name, the last of which,. the LARC, was suggested in 1960.  39pp(+3pp).  . Rare. (No copies located in WorldCat.) 

2. Before it became more of a household name in popular movie culture Fort Detrick started out as Detrick Field (1931-1946), and then became Camp Detrick (1943-1956), and then on to Fort Detrick (U>S. Army Medical Command, plus dozens of other commands based there). When this pamphlet was printed Detrick was the seat of the U.S. bio-weapons program (1943-1969).