Computer Consoles, Inc.

Computer Consoles, Inc.

Company type	Public (formerly private)
Industry	Telephony, Computing
Founded	May 20, 1968 (1968-05-20)
Founder	Edward H. Nutter, Alfred J. Moretti, Jeffrey Tai
Defunct	1990 (1990)
Headquarters	Rochester , United States
Area served	International
Products	Directory assistance hardware and systems, 68k Unix workstations, Power 6/32 Unix supermini, OfficePower office automation suite
Parent	Standard Telephones and Cables (from 1989)

Computer Consoles, Inc. (CCI) was an American telephony and computing firm based in Rochester, New York, active from 1968 until 1990. Starting as a private enterprise before going public, CCI focused on supplying telephone companies internationally with directory assistance hardware and systems designed to automate operator and telephony functions. The company also offered a series of 68k-architecture Unix workstations and the Power 6/32 Unix supermini.

History

Established on May 20, 1968, by three ex-Xerox employees—Edward H. Nutter, Alfred J. Moretti, and Jeffrey Tai—CCI pioneered one of the earliest intelligent computer terminals targeted at the telecommunications sector. Early contributors included Raymond J. Hasenauer (Manufacturing), Eiji Miki (Electronics design), Walter Ponivas (Documentation), and James M. Steinke (Mechanical design). Due to technological constraints of the era, the intelligent terminal occupied roughly the size of a desk.

Automating Operator Services

Expanding upon its intelligent terminal innovation, CCI created networked computing systems that ensured contractually guaranteed access times to telephony databases such as directory assistance and intercept message services. Their most extensive deployment was with British Telecom, supporting Directory Assistance services throughout Great Britain and Ireland. These systems integrated Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-11 computers with proprietary CCI hardware and software.

Automatic Voice Response

During the early 1980s, CCI advanced operator automation by embedding Automatic Voice Response (AVR) technology into its Directory Assistance platforms. AVR provided voice output—commonly beginning with phrases like "The number is"—utilizing early small-vocabulary speech synthesis chips that evolved into 8-bit PCM and ADPCM voice playback, featuring audio content developed by CCI or local telephone providers.

Digital Switching

To further enhance call processing automation, CCI initiated an ambitious early-1980s project to develop a PCM digital telephone switching system capable of managing user-defined call flows. Initial implementations handled intercept and calling card calls by detecting multi-frequency and DTMF signals via DSP-based multi-frequency receiver boards. Later versions incorporated speaker-independent speech recognition through quad digital audio processor boards to automate collect call handling.

PERPOS, Perpetual Processing Operating System

To improve control over transaction processing, enhance fault tolerance, and support networking capabilities, CCI engineered PERPOS, a Unix-based operating system derivative featuring integrated real-time transaction processing, load balancing, and fault-tolerant mechanisms such as hot and cold standby modes.

Power 5 and Power 6 computers

PERPOS was designed for the Power 5 series—a range of multiprocessor, fault-tolerant computers built on the Motorola 68000 architecture by CCI and named after the Great Lakes. The lineup also included single-processor 68000-based models named after the Finger Lakes, which ran PERPOS-S—a Unix variant originally derived from Version 7 Unix with a userland influenced by UNIX System III. Its kernel was later updated for System III compatibility.

CCI subsequently opened a development facility in Irvine, California, where it developed the Power 6/32 minicomputer, codenamed "Tahoe" after Lake Tahoe, intended to compete with Digital Equipment Corporation’s VAX. This system operated an internal BSD port and is notable for hosting the University of California, Berkeley's port of 4.3BSD known as "4.3-Tahoe". The Power 6 was rebranded by Sperry Corporation as the 7000 series (later renamed U7000 following Sperry's merger with Burroughs forming Unisys) and marketed by Harris Computer Systems under the HCX-7 and HCX-9 names. A companion Motorola 68010-based model, the Power 5/32 "Walden" (named after Walden Pond), also ran this BSD port.

Designed to rival the Unix/VAX environment, the Power 6 excelled in scenarios where processing speed was paramount—especially in academic time-sharing compilation settings. However, it was less effective for general database workloads due to an I/O subsystem that relied heavily on central processor resources coupled with relatively basic I/O processors. Additionally, running BSD 4.3 on this hardware revealed inefficiencies in memory management caused by its use of a 512-byte page size rather than the more standard 4-kilobyte page size—a compromise made in BSD for VAX compatibility but unnecessary for Power 6’s architecture.

A notable drawback was the absence of symmetric multiprocessing support: all system calls had to be executed on a designated "Master" processor, requiring process rescheduling from the "slave" CPU on dual-processor setups. As a result, some database benchmarks performed better on single-processor configurations compared to dual-processor arrangements.

Office automation

Expanding on its achievements in network-oriented data management, the company collaborated with and acquired RLG Corporation, a Reston, Virginia-based firm established by Richard L. Gauthier, to create an integrated office automation system centered around terminals. RLG brought expertise from developing similar systems for the United States Department of Transportation. The developed suite, named OfficePower, integrated word processing, spreadsheet functionality, email, and database connectivity through a compact desktop smart terminal supported by mini or super-mini computers. Although adapted for various Unix platforms, the majority of deployments operated on CCI's Power 5 and Power 6 hardware running CCI’s Unix variants.

A significant deployment occurred at the US Naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, Virginia, where two VAX systems running 4.2BSD worked alongside Power 5/20 machines operating PERPOS-S. Due to budget limitations, not every Power 5/20 was equipped with Ethernet adapters; instead, they utilized 3Com's UNET TCP/IP stack with a special encapsulation method to transmit IP datagrams over serial connections. This approach was implemented by Rick Adams as a line discipline for 4.2BSD and became the foundation of the SLIP.

Following CCI’s acquisition by Standard Telephones and Cables (STC), OfficePower was adopted as the primary office software across STC-owned International Computers Limited (ICL). The system was ported to the ICL DRS product line and later to servers based on Power 6/32, Motorola 68030, Intel x86, and Sun SPARC architectures, maintaining a strong presence among ICL’s clientele well into the late 1990s.

CCI (Europe) Inc

CCI (Europe) Inc functioned as the fully owned European division responsible for sales, marketing, and support activities, headquartered in West London. Under the leadership of European Vice President Richard Levy (formerly of Altergo and Wang), the team assembled industry experts focused on targeting specific market segments and distribution channels throughout Europe and international regions for CCI’s comprehensive computer and telephony portfolio.

This European branch collaborated closely with manufacturing and logistics operations in Rochester, NY; planning and management teams in Irvine, CA; as well as the Israeli R&D group handling international systems localization. CCI Europe secured significant contracts across Europe and forged international third-party distribution alliances with firms such as ICL and BT, becoming a crucial component of the parent company’s global expansion strategy.

CCI Israel, Inc.

CCI Israel, Inc., incorporated in Delaware and closely connected to Computer Consoles, Inc.’s operations in Rochester, NY; Irvine, CA; and Reston, VA, was founded to oversee a telephony initiative for Israel’s national telephone operator, Bezeq. This effort utilized products engineered by the Rochester-based team.

Under managing director Jacob "Jack" Mark—who previously contributed to Unix development at Bell Labs—CCI Israel grew from a modest office in Ramat Gan into a substantial R&D center. It provided support for U.S.-based CCI units while developing machine-level software/operating systems, telephony technologies, and office automation solutions tailored especially for British and foreign language versions of "OfficePower."

Additionally, CCI Israel completed local projects for clients including Motorola and Israel Aircraft Industries. During the mid-1980s, it introduced CCI’s micro- and mini-computers—the 5/32 and 6/32 models—to the Israeli marketplace. Moreover, CCI Israel played an instrumental role in advancing Unix adoption and the C programming language within Israel by founding the country’s first Unix User Group.

Achievements

CCI actively participated in telecommunications and standards organizations like ANSI, playing a significant role in advancing Unix and the C programming language. The company was a forerunner in developing real-time transaction processing systems, fault-tolerant computing architectures, and methods for distributed database and file system access. Notably, CCI was among the first commercial enterprises to establish an Internet presence via cci.com.

During the late 1980s, CCI implemented one of the era’s largest Unix-based multiprocessor shared file system platforms (PERPOS) at British Telecom, showcasing design innovations that were ahead of industry norms. Additionally, CCI was a leader in voice response and speech recognition technologies aimed at automating operator-assisted telephone services.

At the point of acquisition, CCI commanded more than 90% of the worldwide market share for telephony directory service automation equipment.

Acquisition by Standard Telephones and Cables

On January 1, 1989, STC completed its acquisition of CCI. At that time, CCI consisted of two primary divisions: telecommunications equipment manufacturing based in Rochester ("CCI - Rochester") and computer hardware production located in Irvine ("CCI - Irvine"). Software development for office systems took place in Reston, Virginia. Alongside these operations, a finance division managed commercial leasing arrangements for telecom equipment with an estimated value exceeding $700 million.

CCI was engaged in legal disputes with General Telephone and Electronics concerning issues related to chip supply that impacted new computer development projects.

Following the acquisition, CCI - Rochester was integrated into STC Telecom’s operations. Meanwhile, the Irvine Computer Products Division and Reston Office Products Centre were divested to STC subsidiary ICL at net book value. The Rochester division remained within STC Telecom’s telecommunications-focused business unit.

Acquisition by Northern Telecom Ltd.

In March 1991, Northern Telecom acquired STC Telecom, incorporating it into its European operations. Subsequently, on January 1, 1992, CCI was transferred to Northern Telecom’s U.S. division and merged into this entity. The legal existence of CCI was terminated as Northern Telecom assumed responsibility for its assets and liabilities.

Significant historical applications

The Pixar Computer Animation Group employed a Power 6/32 system to produce the "Glass Man" sequence featured in Steven Spielberg's film Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). This technology continued to support much of Pixar’s animation work through 1990.