[GreenKeys] Best laid plans..

[H.E.Robert]

One possible answer to Jack's question, is that Mr. Boswell's Five Year 
Plan, did not include
anything as ludicrous as the break-up of the Bell System!  Who woulda 
thunk it?

My guess is his projections would have been accurate, had it not been 
for that one little wrinkle.

I know from personal contact, that not even the Presidents of the Local 
Bell Operating Companies,
were told of the plan, until just before the public announcement.

I'm gonna bet the Bell System was the largest customer of Teletype, and 
with that market pinched off,
without a heads-up, was doomed to extinction.  Looking back, it's easy 
to see, that the mechanical
printing mechanisms, were already seriously behind even the fastest 
dial-up asynchronous speed of
1200 baud, as they continued to "peck" along at 150 to 300 baud.

Then of course, the Personal Computers appeared, and in my humble 
opinion, probably did as much
to sound the death knell for the work horses of more than half a 
century, than any other single factor!

As for the young Engineer, as hard as it is for me to believe, as they 
were so much a part of my personal
and professional life, I guess I'm not surprised!

Just Bob

Jack wrote:

>>From WE, Western Electric magazine, Sep-Oct 1980, interview with Floyd
>Boswell, president of Teletype
>
>"Based on current projections, we'll definitely need another
>manufacturing plant, about the same size as Little Rock, someplace
>in the next five years."
>
>(It was about five years later that Teletype announced the closing of
>Skokie.)
>
>*************
>I wonder what their (sales?) projections were being based upon?
>Can't believe the Model 40 was their future. Inktronic?
>
>I met a young mechanical engineer at an airport stopover
>last night; he works for LexMark designing printers. He
>never heard of Teletype Corporation(!!!!) and had no idea what
>a teleprinter was... we had a lot of time to talk...the connecting
>flight was five hours late.
>
>73,
>Jack WA2HWJ
>
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