The Bell Labs research area had a very relaxed computing environment that did not
require too much in the way of change management. However, there was a need for
an extremely stable environment during demos. Therefore, the research area maintained
a simple calendar of the demo schedule, using the UNIX calendar command.
Researchers notified the SAs of demos via the usual helpdesk procedure, and the SAs
paid attention to this calendar when scheduling downtime. They also avoided risky
changes on those days and avoided any kind of group lunch that might take too many
SAs away from the building. If the demo included CEOs or heads of state, an SA stood
ready outside the door.