Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!fluke!ssc-vax!bcsaic!rwojcik
From: rwojcik@bcsaic.UUCP (Rick Wojcik)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: The ICC,   Soviets and other things..
Message-ID: <9905@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: 1 Feb 89 19:49:34 GMT
References: <10531@well.UUCP>
Reply-To: rwojcik@bcsaic.UUCP (Rick Wojcik)
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle
Lines: 28

In article <10531@well.UUCP> crunch@well.UUCP (John Draper) writes:

>Leo Simon writes:
>>It may sound all too well, but are you aware that the ordinary Soviet 
>>citizens may not own computer printers.  It is illegal and punishable by 
>>law to a few years in prison.  Do you still want to promote computer 
>>contacts with the Soviet Union?
>
>And I say:   "Bull puckey" -- Please substantuate this...  Gee!!  Then
>those 5 programmers I met must be breaking the law.... They ALL had
>printers,   and why would Soviet TV be broadcasting an educational
>program showing how to patch the IBM BIOS to work with a Bulgarian
>printer if having them were illegal??   Someone has their wires crossed
>somewhere....

I hope that Leo clarifies his statement, too.  I suspect he was referring to
the fact that private citizens in the SU have been prohibited from owning any
machines that could print text.  This prohibition doesn't make much sense
under glasnost, but I'm not sure that the laws have been changed.  Have they?
It may be the case that they are still on the books, but not enforced.  I
think that John should convey this point to the Soviets and find out what the
current (and past) laws are that govern printing machines.  I wish we all had
the ability to put direct questions to them.


-- 
Rick Wojcik   csnet:  rwojcik@atc.boeing.com	   
              uucp:   uw-beaver!ssc-vax!bcsaic!rwojcik