WWMCCS Work Site(an abandoned factory) |
Mike was hired by Honeywell specifically to work on a large US military software system called World Wide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS).
He had no idea (nor experience with) what this program was, but he was happy to have a computer programming job and to work in Phoenix.
Right away he discovered that this was a very "secret" project and that the hundreds of other Honeywell employees there knew nothing more than it was a huge new contract.
It remained a mystery otherwise.
For this reason, the WWMCCS team was housed in an old factory located about 8 miles south of the main plant.
All team members were vetted and given "Secret" security clearances (itself an interesting process).
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The WWMCCS project took about 3 years; it was a huge "financial boon" for Honeywell (and was the reason Mike was hired). Some of the WWMCCS team (including Mike) were sent to Washington, DC, to work with the programmers that would be supporting the system after delivery. The extreme security conditions there unnerved the Honeywell people, making them glad they worked in the Private Sector.
WWMCCS was completed, and the team was sent back to the main Honeywell plant, where more formality reigned (better dress code, more orderly work areas, etc.). It was an adjustment for Mike, but others had worked there before and knew what to expect. He found the (new) work challenging and fun, and the cleaner environment was good. Most of the team were assigned to develop a "commercial version of WWMCCS", one which lacked the extreme security features, but maintained the "state-of-the-art" aspects of the basic software. During its development, it was given several different names: QRP, PLP, and eventually MDQS (Management Data Query System). Honeywell felt - reasonably so - that this software system was revolutionary and could be an important product offering. The team's task was to "make it a commercial product", enhance it in commercial ways, and to document it so that Honeywell's customers could use it. (As a Military system, it fulfilled specific requirements - 398 of them - and didn't need any vendor-produced promotion or manuals.) Some features that were militarily specific had to be removed; other features that weren't needed in WWMCCS were added.
Honeywell's marketing expertise was important for something new like this, and GE, in their traditional "non-marketing style", couldn't have sold it to anyone. (GE's philosophy of merely "slapping the GE logo on something they were selling" failed for business computers, which is why they had to sell the business to Honeywell in 1970.)
As part of this "commercialization" project, Mike created a tool (which he needed) for debugging and analysis of the code the product created. The basis of the software was a new language that generated a "pseudo-code" that ran on the mainframe computers - similar to the way today's Java works. The by-product wasn't something user programmers could use or modify, and when the "program" they wrote didn't work correctly, it was very difficult to know what to change. On one hand it was very easy to use, but it was all but impossible to modify! Because the software's concept was so different from the procedural languages of that day (e,g, COBOL, ForTran, BASIC), old-style programmers of that era had difficulty working with it. This was frustrating for both the customers and the Honeywell support people.
Mike's utility program soon became an important part of the development suite for the Honeywell programmers, and word spread to the customers that were starting to use the software. The customers needed it, too! Suddenly, Mike had to document the tool...but he found it didn't work well from a reference manual. The solution was for Mike himself to teach users how to use it. Honeywell Marketing decided to bring in some key support techs from around the country, and Mike had to work with them "hands-on", as needed. Key marketing Education people were included, too. Mike taught several such classes in Phoenix...but that wasn't sufficient for the French affiliate, Groupe Bull (which would eventually purchase and take over Honeywell's computer business).
So Mike was sent to Paris, France to teach a group of European support people about the tool and how to use it. Honeywell agreed to let Libby go with him (Mike had pay her way, but the common charges were covered by Honeywell), which at the time was the trip of a lifetime for them.
The (business) trip was in 1978, and Libby had big plans for her time there (when Mike was teaching), as well as what free time they had together. Her art background was enough to get her excited about sites like The Louvre and Versailles. She was in Interior Design school at the time, so she relished the chance to see and write papers about classic architecture and design for her classes.
Mike feared communication difficulties on this trip, both at the teaching site and elsewhere. Neither he or Libby spoke French, and he was concerned (terrified, in fact) that they wouldn't be able to get around...or even eat. (He's not a good traveller...) His fears were quickly realized, as (1) a suitcase was damaged in-flight and (2) the first attempt to eat (lunch) was awful when they couldn't understand the menu.
Two things saved them, so to speak. First, one of Mike's bosses happened to be in Paris at the time, and they were able to contact him. His experience was enough to get them initially situated - but he was returning to Phoenix immediately and couldn't help more. Second, Libby's former roommate, Joyce Snyder (Bouvier), lived in a nearby town (and spoke fluent French!). She came to meet them and handled the luggage repair situation.
From there, they started to function: Mike was able to take the (marvellous) subway system to his teaching site and get started with the people he would teach. He had been assured that his "students" could speak English, and to his delight they could. They were from all over Europe, representing country-based Honeywell offices. He would take the subway early each morning and return in the evening. Libby, meanwhile, was able to get to her desired sites quite well, and she really enjoyed the experience. Meals continued to be a challenge (particularly for Mike), but they discovered that out-of-the-way neighborhood cafes were places where the locals were more than helpful: it was in larger, more formal places (such as their hotel) where they got scant help with the language barrier.