World Trade Crash and a bit about computers

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Wed Sep 12 08:53:14 2001

I'm not sure that the congress had much to do with the spec's for that
militarized microVax-II that was under development in the '80's. I worked, for
a time, on the "all-source-analysis system" project, which was a congressionally
mandated project run by JPL in Pasadena, in which they took the microVax
(originally an Apple-II) and used it to present intelligence information for
analysis. The project grew and grew, and, by JPL's direction, became more and
more convoluted and costly, because the JPL guys had no clue about how to manage
costs, never having had to work on things that were intended to be produced in
multiples.

There may have been other similar projects, but the one with which I'm
acquainted used the microVAX-II in a militarized enclosure that allowed the
computer to enjoy a commercial environment inside, while exposed to a military
environment outside.

It used a fiber-based redundant clone of ethernet, which didn't work well,
initially, with DEC's idea of what ethernet was, and it used a really nice (I
liked the "8x10-glossy" look of the CRT) high-resolution graphics display rather
than an Apple-II display, along with initially ESDI and later SCSI (much faster
and cheaper) 5-1/4" hard drives. Moreover, instead of the TK-50's, it was
intended to use WORM drives, which was never realized because the industry
wasn't far enough along.

Except for the fact that it was a set of congressionally mandated busy work for
the JPL guys, this might have been a useful project, but with all the politics
and corruption at the JPL (the managing agency) end, it was doomed from the
start.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Maslin" <donm_at_cts.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 10:57 PM
Subject: Re: World Trade Crash and a bit about computers


>
>
> On Tue, 11 Sep 2001, Bill Pechter wrote:
>
<snip>
> > I really don't think I'm a great fan of either President Bush or
> > former President Clinton, but I really feel that the military and
> > intelligence community have not done enough to get ready for the
> > new non-traditional methods of conflict and we're headed for more of
> > this.
> >
> > I've worked out of Fort Monmouth for DEC and other organizations and I
> > know the bureacracy there has kept the military from using the
> > commercially available technologies effectively.
> >
> > The US military is way too wedded to the old mil-spec way of
> > doing things. Wired had a good article showing that they're beginning to
> > hire consultants to adjust their method of doing business.
> >
> > They used to draw up specs for things they needed which caused their
> > costs to be hire than off-the-shelf technology would have been.
> > Building custom limited production devices is expensive.
> > Luckily they cancelled their MCF Military Computer Family project
> > which was building a Vax work-alike computer in the mid-80's
> > when the MicrovaxII became available off the shelf.
>
> I think that you need to explore whether it is the military or the
> Congress that created and fostered the Mil-Spec and contractual wickets
> that are finally being whittled down. No argument, however, that it
> was/is costly and unproductive.
> - don
>
> > They're beginning to adapt. I hope it will allow us to avoid losing our
> > freedoms to have the security all folks want and deserve.
> >
> > Bill
> > --
> > d|i|g|i|t|a|l had it THEN. Don't you wish you could still buy it now!
> > bpechter_at_shell.monmouth.com|pechter_at_pechter.dyndns.org
> >
>
>
Received on Wed Sep 12 2001 - 08:53:14 BST