Editing Racter (section)

==Reception==
''The Boston Phoenix'' called the story ''Soft Ions'' "schematic nonsense. But the scheme is obvious enough and the nonsense accessible enough to an attentive reader that one can almost believe Chamberlain when he predicts that before long Racter will be ready to write for the pulp-reading public."<ref>Kane, 1981</ref>

''[[PC Magazine]]'' described some of ''Policeman's Beard''{{'}}s scenes as "surprising for their frankness" and "reflective". It concluded that the book was "whimsical and wise and sometimes fun".<ref name="nasta19841225">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=azbgSlPdJawC&pg=PA62 | title=Thief of Arts | work=PC Magazine | date=1984-12-25 | accessdate=25 October 2013 | author=Nasta, Terry | page=63}}</ref> ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' described ''Racter'' as "a diversion into another dimension that might best be seen before paying the price of a ticket. (Try before you buy!)"<ref name="wagner198605">{{cite magazine | title=Amiga Preferences | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=May 1986| author=Wagner, Roy | page=36}}</ref>

A 1985 review of the program in ''[[The New York Times]]'' notes that, "As computers move ever closer to artificial intelligence, Racter is on the edge of artificial insanity." It also states that Racter's "always-changing sentences are grammatically correct, often funny and, for a computer, sometimes profound."  The article includes examples showing interaction with Racter, most often Racter asking the user questions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=Peter H. |date=May 14, 1985 |title=A New Brand of Lunacy For Sale |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/14/science/peripherals-a-new-brand-of-lunacy-for-sale.html |work=The New York Times |location= |access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref>