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=-1.1 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,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 df9c1e4d for ; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 19:47:32 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 1A95E951C1; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 05:47:31 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 90393951B4; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 05:47:00 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (1024-bit key; unprotected) header.d=kilonet.net header.i=@kilonet.net header.b="o8sFgcpZ"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id D0E43951B4; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 05:46:58 +1000 (AEST) X-Greylist: delayed 438 seconds by postgrey-1.36 at minnie.tuhs.org; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 05:46:58 AEST Received: from p3plsmtpa09-08.prod.phx3.secureserver.net (p3plsmtpa09-08.prod.phx3.secureserver.net [173.201.193.237]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 4E96F951B3 for ; Mon, 18 Mar 2019 05:46:58 +1000 (AEST) Received: from medusa.kilonet.net ([72.69.11.12]) by :SMTPAUTH: with ESMTPA id 5bdChdwidhDZr5bdDhvdgI; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:39:39 -0700 Received: from [199.89.231.101] (ender.kilonet.net [199.89.231.101]) by medusa.kilonet.net (8.14.8/8.15.1) with ESMTP id x2HJdcTn008553 for ; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:39:38 -0400 (EDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=kilonet.net; s=default; t=1552851578; bh=k5mc3kxDrtQcfPnbWO/Cwko+THZ2qN7lvndR6l5+iq0=; h=Subject:To:References:From:Date:In-Reply-To; b=o8sFgcpZlJJSHmWl9QRilMjyg9CrZDfkQuc0gN/BtuO7QwdQSovy1C5CcLvbjlR6c go/vnZ2XqWmqrtn+J2UqFLlYy/6G1D7gbPxUExNXcLMFcSiMrEEZsqnAlWf/sdGg7/ WxUXrsRmPeqCcSBwQ9EEhymzuMHhIQZG80WDSrvA= To: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org References: <837973bfe43d298115dd0429f0aa514a07499fd7@webmail.yaccman.com> <20190317185228.06007214EF@orac.inputplus.co.uk> From: Arthur Krewat Message-ID: Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:39:37 -0400 User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:60.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/60.5.3 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <20190317185228.06007214EF@orac.inputplus.co.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Language: en-US X-CMAE-Envelope: MS4wfA22O+N5Vftpo7hA6C+jxZWKVm+UR0OVK3x3U21xMyjevVOsJBjzZ+oDFmz0QufAzOea0UOjSFLv3qebHDEkqUNBv4eLCqdrMPAimTeyG6+F7h9CBN14 csfQ33PP36NqpzbEvn2z6YnCCoVhd5oqraZiwgU1L11UEcblD04bHMM2 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" This kind of telephone history always get my "phreak" up ;) On 3/17/2019 2:52 PM, Ralph Corderoy wrote: > 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.