From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, LOTS_OF_MONEY,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id a87511fb for ; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 18:58:57 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 8DB16951CD; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 04:58:56 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3C9DF951B4; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 04:58:21 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 87726951B4; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 04:58:18 +1000 (AEST) X-Greylist: delayed 348 seconds by postgrey-1.36 at minnie.tuhs.org; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 04:58:17 AEST Received: from relay01.pair.com (relay01.pair.com [209.68.5.15]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 03C4D951B3 for ; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 04:58:17 +1000 (AEST) Received: from orac.inputplus.co.uk (unknown [87.112.12.90]) by relay01.pair.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id AF8F5D026C6 for ; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 14:52:28 -0400 (EDT) Received: from orac.inputplus.co.uk (orac.inputplus.co.uk [IPv6:::1]) by orac.inputplus.co.uk (Postfix) with ESMTP id 06007214EF for ; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 18:52:28 +0000 (GMT) To: tuhs@tuhs.org From: Ralph Corderoy MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit In-reply-to: <837973bfe43d298115dd0429f0aa514a07499fd7@webmail.yaccman.com> References: <837973bfe43d298115dd0429f0aa514a07499fd7@webmail.yaccman.com> Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2019 18:52:28 +0000 Message-Id: <20190317185228.06007214EF@orac.inputplus.co.uk> Subject: Re: [TUHS] Bell Labs data center in 1969/70 X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" Hi Steve, > For a long time, California was viewed as hostile to phone companies, > or at least AT&T, and I remember clearly people saying that Bell Labs > would never have a location in CA as a result. Here's what Larry Luckham told me in a private email that he's since said could be copied to the list. Larry wrote: > Of the thousands of web pages that I have posted the one of the Bell > Labs photos is the one that generates a dozen queries a year. Had no > idea that would be the case when I posted it. The photos are also the > most ripped off and reposted of anything I've ever done. But, to your > points. > > The facility I set up in Oakland was temporary and for a specific > experiment that ran for roughly 4 years. You may recall that > beginning in the mid 60's the Bell System was experiencing a huge and > unpredicted demand for 411, information operator services. The lead > time to provide the trunking and other facilities for 411 operations > was something like 25 years. The public facing response was the "$55 > million dollar phone call" ad campaign intended to point customers > back to printed directories. The inward facing response was to figure > out a way to handle each request for service faster so that the > existing trunking and other facilities could meet the growing demand. > > At that time information operators relied on printed directories much > the same as the customer's printed directory, except that theirs were > loose leaf, reprinted monthly, and supplemented with a yellow daily > addendum. They were also printed in a larger format to make reading > easier. A division of the Labs called Business Information Systems > Corp. out of the Raritan River Center was tasked with the project and > given a very short timeline. A computer database and electronic > display terminals driven by a very powerful search engine was the > result. Special operator terminals were designed and built by Western > Electric. The search engine was contracted out to Computer Corp. of > America (CCA) which had been founded by some guys from Minsky's AI lab > at MIT. Then the idea was to try it out in a live environment. > The San Francisco Bay Area was selected as reasonably representative > and that's where I came in. I was already managing the data center at > the local Bell company, Pacific Telephone and Telegraph, > San Francisco, so I was recruited to make it happen. I built the > mainframe data center, PT&T provided space in an information operating > room a few blocks away and CCA came onsite to do the programming. > > The testing ran roughly 4 years. I had moved on before it ended, but > it was successful and was implanted, at least to some degree, but this > shop was dismantled and everyone went home. Then technology did what > it always does, it ran over everything and changed the world. > Along came the PC, the Internet, smart phones, etc. > > It's been a very long time and I'm sure I've forgotten, or > misremembered stuff, but that's kind of what I remember. > Hope it sheds some light. -- Cheers, Ralph.