Communications Technology for Mass-Based Office Systems

Abstract

Mass-based office systems are likely to become the most important applications of modern PC and telecommunications technology. CSS is likely to become a particularly important system of this kind — due to the intentions associated with it and the functionality provided by it. CSS has been defined by the Commission of the European Communities primarily for its own use, but it is generally available for a low distribution fee. The Commission’s main contractor for the realization of CSS is ICL/European Institutions, the latter subcontracted TELES, which performed the complete design and implementation of a highly portable CSS machine.

This paper shows how to integrate the various existing communications services in a systematic way into a modern office system implementation such as the CSS machine realized by TELES. It then explains why adding another communications service module to this CSS machine — e.g. in order to provide interworking with another electronic office system — is a straightforward activity which does not affect the bulk of the remaining CSS machine at all. The paper also outlines another fundamental property of the TELES implementation of a CSS machine: the possibility to test the proper functioning of any of these machines remotely — e.g. by the CSS Launching Team in Berlin.

The paper goes far beyond discussing only technical aspects of modern communications technology. For one of its most important areas, namely for the area of office/administration technology, it also outlines the significant user requirements and political boundary conditions as well as their technical implications. In particular, several aspects of the philosophy are discussed how CSS shall be launched into broad acceptance. This more general part of the paper should provide a survey about and some understanding of the whole broad area of interrelations to be taken into account when developing communications technology for the mass market.

Probably, the most convincing way to prove the suitability of the CSS technology for the mass market is to show its suitability for the industrially less developed areas/countries — this is done in the terminating section of this paper.

The Committee Support System, Architectural Definition, /1/, document available by Mr. Ken Thompson, Commission of the European Communities, Directorate General III ITTF, 200 Rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels