[TUHS] CSRC Involvement in Non-UNIX AT&T Software Projects

[TUHS] CSRC Involvement in Non-UNIX AT&T Software Projects

[Douglas McIlroy]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1488 bytes --]

> was there ever any crossover regarding UNIX folks applying their
developments to other non-UNIX AT&T systems

Besides Sandy Fraser's long-term effort to advance digital communication
(as distinct from digital transmission), there was TPC; see TUHS
https://www.tuhs.org/pipermail/tuhs/2020-April/020802.html and other
mentions of TPC in the TUHS archives.

Ken Thompson did considerable handholding for early adopters of Unix for
applications within the Bell System, notably tracking automatic trouble
reports from switching systems and managing the workflow of craftspeople in
a wire center.

Bob Morris's intimate participation in a submarine signal-processing
project that Bell Labs contracted to produce for the US Navy set him on a
career path that led to becoming chief scientist at NSA's National Computer
Security Center.

Gerard Holtzmann collaborated to instill model-checking in switching and
transmission projects.

Andrew Hume spent much time with AT&T's call records.

Lorinda Cherry single-handedly automated the analysis of call centers'
notes on customer contacts, This enabled detection of significant
human-engineering and public-relations problems.

An important part of my role as a department head was to maintain contacts
with development labs so that R and D were mutually aware of each other's
problems and expertise. This encouraged consulting visits, internships, and
occasionally extended collaboration or specific research projects as
recounted above.

Doug

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 2423 bytes --]

[TUHS] CSRC Involvement in Non-UNIX AT&T Software Projects

[segaloco via TUHS]

I'm reading about the Automatic Intercept System as discussed in BSTJ Vol. 53 No. 1 this evening.  It is a stored program control call handling system designed to respond to calls with potential forwarding or disconnection messages.  Reading through the description of the operating system for AIS got me wondering:

What with the growing experience in the CSRC regarding kernel technologies and systems programming, was there ever any crossover regarding UNIX folks applying their developments to other non-UNIX AT&T systems projects or vice versa, perhaps folks who worked primarily on switching and support software bringing things over to the UNIX development camp?  In other words, was there personnel cross-pollination between Bell System UNIX programmers and the folks working on stuff like AIS, ESS switching software, etc.?  Or were the aims and implementation of such projects so different that the resources were relatively siloed?

I would imagine some of these projects were at least developed using UNIX given the popularity and demands of PWB.  That's just my hunch though, some BSTJs also describe software development and maintenance taking place on S/360 and S/370 machines and various PDPs.  Indeed the development process for AIS mentioned above, as of late 1971, involved assembly via S/360 software and then system maintenance and debugging via an attached PDP-9.  

- Matt G.