Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!arisia!cdp!usagdr
From: usagdr@cdp.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Computers in the Eastern Bloc
Message-ID: <135900010@cdp>
Date: 9 Jun 89 15:54:00 GMT
References: <2717@ndsuvax.uucp>
Lines: 19
Nf-ID: #R:ndsuvax.uucp:2717:cdp:135900010:000:1059
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!usagdr    Jun  9 08:54:00 1989


There's a very good book published recently by National Defense University Pressre. the state of computers and society in the US
SR.  I'll try to get the title
to you.

In general, ownership of PC's in socialist countries is limited to official
organizations, research institutes, universities, hospitals, large economic
enterprises and, of course, the government.  In the GDR, for example, the
average citizen can usually find a low-grade commodore at a second-hand store,
but IBM-compatible PC's are very difficult to obtain.  Modems, by the way, are
illegal.  (Not that it would make any difference--line noise on the GDR's
medieval phone system would shut down a link in ten seconds.)

On the other hand, I've heard that recently officials in the Soviet Union, 
Poland and Hungary have begun to allow private citizens to import PCs directly
from the West.  The one obvious limitation is, naturally, valuta (hard 
currency).  An $800 PC would simply be unobtainable for the average citizen.

Like you, I'm interested in how this picture might be changing.