SIDNEY@MIT-OZ ("Sidney Markowitz") (11/27/85)
The following question came up in a local discussion group about SDI
(Star Wars). I assume that the "phone system" being cited is ESS. Can
anyone offer some informed information about the size and nature of
the software involved in ESS, and its history of development,
reliability, etc.?
I went to the SDI forum at 10-250 over the weekend
and picked up a red pamphlet as well as a leaflet
from some pro SDI student group. The pamphlet was
produced by the Marshall Fund. Both these contain
the same statement, roughly saying that the Phone
System contains 10 million lines of code with 4000
interconnections (or some such number) between each
module. Then a claim that this is more complex than
SDI would be. Does anyone know what these people
were talking about.
They quote 50 million lines for the phone system vs. 10 million
for SDI; they go on to say "Also, the number of
interconnections between `nodes', i.e., nerve centers, in the
AT&T program is 14,000, whereas the number of interconnections
in the SDI program is estimated to be about 4500." I am also
mystified by the reference. Can someone who knows telephony
shed light on this?
Thanks,
Sidney Markowitz <sidney%mit-oz@mit-mc.arpa>
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