The PC's Soviet?

From: Allison J Parent <allisonp_at_world.std.com>
Date: Wed Apr 15 22:00:22 1998

<What's wrong with vacuum tubes? You're the ones collecting them :0

In their time it was the best technology. But the answer to the question
is, too big, fragile, High power needs, lots of heat and they make lousy
high speed switches (IE binary elements).

As to EMP immunity, not much use if the memory is wiped and less help if
the system is so slow and awkward that reboots are impractical. Vacuum
tubes offer little help there.

As far as I know the Soviet Russins had technology but they were limited
in their ability to translate that to volume product. That combined with
no production capability that wasn't allocated to the military was a mess.
It wasn't for lack of bright people just a messed up system.

Allison
Received on Wed Apr 15 1998 - 22:00:22 BST