>> The AT&T of the Bell Labs days ... designed their own ... True, I am old enough to have see my own employer (France Telecom) doing the same: Computers : SM8

>> The AT&T of the Bell Labs days ... designed their own ... True, I am old enough to have see my own employer (France Telecom) doing the same: Computers : SM80 and SM90 [0] and heavy involvement in other computers like the LCT3202. Operating system: A clone of Unix in Pascal! Phones indeed: S63 and older phones, Phone switches: E10 and software of 11F. For me the 80" were the good old time, you well describe what came after that "just takes bids for everything from Cisco et al" [0] http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/projet/unix/sps7.htm http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/projet/unix/sps7.htm