Soviet Technology

[Psy]

After hearing "Soviet technology was crap" from anti-communist nuts I decided to start a thread on Soviet technology here, this is in the history section since Soviet technology is now history.

I'll start with the UM1-NX control computer that started mass production in 1962 and was applauded by American engineers for its small size and low power consumption.

[lvl100]

Is it just me, or this topic has a fals dilema ? Who said "Soviet technology was crap" ?
The advanced soviet technology its a fact that even anti-communsits usualy didnt denied. How can you send a space station in the sky with a crap technology ?
The scientific research in all socialist countries was at a very high level.

The only weak thing was `tho that usualy high technology wasnt applied to mass production. For example they surrounded the sky with state of the art sattelites , but home electronics like color tv or video players were shitty or non existant.:crying:

[Psy]

Is it just me, or this topic has a fals dilema ? Who said "Soviet technology was crap" ?

Ayn Rand nuts, ie MrCropper (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIXGBcx8zI0)

Which is 100% bullshit (even calling Nazi technology crap) but that is par the course for followers of Ayn Rand.



The advanced soviet technology its a fact that even anti-communsits usualy didnt denied. How can you send a space station in the sky with a crap technology ?
The scientific research in all socialist countries was at a very high level.

The only weak thing was `tho that usualy high technology wasnt applied to mass production. For example they surrounded the sky with state of the art sattelites , but home electronics like color tv or video players were shitty or non existant.:crying:
True.

[Dimentio]

Ask interrupt_00h. He is probably a black hole of complete insanity right now, but he knows everything about Soviet technology.

[Wiesty]

The soviet union was very technologically advanced. Like most countries in the time before world war 2 and after, it was in a technology race and European countries were sometimes far ahead of the Americans. The only difference is that the Americans improved on many of the concepts presented by countries like Russia and Germany, and since America happens to be "the country", they get the credit. Most historically important technology is not american.

[Zazaban]

Television was invented by a Russian. :laugh:

[Yehuda Stern]

The situation lvl100 describes is pretty accurate. Military technology in the Soviet Union was very advanced, but the level of consumption goods was low as dirt. The problem for Soviet state capitalism was that its social goal was to increase state-owned capital, but consumer goods did nothing for this goal. To paraphrase a book I've read, you can't accumulate what a worker eats.

[ComradeOm]

After hearing "Soviet technology was crap" from anti-communist nuts I decided to start a thread on Soviet technology here, this is in the history section since Soviet technology is now historyAre you that desperate to defend the Soviets? The USSR was never the Third World nation its detractors make out but by 1989 it was clearly lagging behind the USA in a number of key fields, the most notable of course being computer technology

Naturally the focus of Soviet science was in heavy industry and here they, in terms of hard technology at least, tended to excel. I believe that Soviet vulcanisation processes and assorted mining techniques were world class

[Fedorov]

Are you that desperate to defend the Soviets? The USSR was never the Third World nation its detractors make out but by 1989 it was clearly lagging behind the USA in a number of key fields, the most notable of course being computer technology

A major reason for this was that the Soviet Union was very concerned with that bomb (forgot the name) that can wipe out entire electric grids. The old Tube computers, although much larger and slower wouldn't be affected by it so it was seen as a more logical option. The Soviet Union had less industrial capacity so if it wanted to excel in certain fields it certainly would. I remember watching a documentary on Soviet rocket engines that use a closed cycle design, it was thought impossible up until the collapse by western scientists. So now satelites are being shot up using those 30 year old soviet rockets (or the same basic design) that are STILL more efecient than their western counterparts. If the Soviet Union would put its energy into toasters, it would be ahead in that department as well.

[ComradeOm]

A major reason for this was that the Soviet Union was very concerned with that bomb (forgot the name) that can wipe out entire electric grids. The old Tube computers, although much larger and slower wouldn't be affected by it so it was seen as a more logical optionThe idea that the Soviet leadership purposefully decided to limit research into into computer technology because vacuum tubes were less affected (note: not immune) to EMP weaponry is absurd

[lvl100]

The idea that the Soviet leadership purposefully decided to limit research into into computer technology because vacuum tubes were less affected (note: not immune) to EMP weaponry is absurd

Ofcourse it is absurd. If all tehnologies research were made after "If its working dont fix it " rule we woulnd be so technological advandaced today.

But theres more. EMP weaponry arent exactly used in wars. They arent so practical.

What americans use for disabling electrical components ( grids, computers etc) are a much simpler yet effective weapon : the graphite bombs.
And in this case, it dosent matter your tehnolgy used in computer. If the cloud of graphite its near your equipment....your fucked.

[Psy]

Ofcourse it is absurd. If all tehnologies research were made after "If its working dont fix it " rule we woulnd be so technological advandaced today.

But theres more. EMP weaponry arent exactly used in wars. They arent so practical.

What americans use for disabling electrical components ( grids, computers etc) are a much simpler yet effective weapon : the graphite bombs.
And in this case, it dosent matter your tehnolgy used in computer. If the cloud of graphite its near your equipment....your fucked.

Actually the USSR had plans for a EMP space bomb, it was mini-nukes that would have flew into space and used EMP pulses to take down everyones satellites (including the USSRs due to uncontrollable nature of the weapon) the idea of the weapon was to blind everyone in the opening moves of World War III and rely on ground communications (that in theory would be unaffected due to the distance from the EMP pulses in space) to encircle NATO troops in Europe that would be disorganized as NATO forces switch from satellite communications over the ground communications and they would still be blinded to the maneuvers to Warsaw troops with spy satellites knocked down till they could get spy planes in the air that also could take hours.

[chimx]

In regards to the space race,early Soviet technology exceeded that of America's. Soviet rockets were more powerful and America never really caught up. The consequence of this was America developed it's microchip technology so as not to need rocket technology as powerful as the USSR. This eventually caused Russia to fall behind US technology in other fields such as computing.

[3A CCCP]

The situation lvl100 describes is pretty accurate. Military technology in the Soviet Union was very advanced, but the level of consumption goods was low as dirt. The problem for Soviet state capitalism was that its social goal was to increase state-owned capital, but consumer goods did nothing for this goal. To paraphrase a book I've read, you can't accumulate what a worker eats.


That's a crock! There was no Soviet "state capitalism" and no goal to increase state-owned capital (that's a ludicrous statement on your part that sounds like something one might have read in the bourgeois press of that era!). What Putin created in the R.F. today is a form of "state capitalism." What existed in the USSR was a socialist society.

The reason for the lack of production of consumer goods was due to the country being forced to put an inordinate amount of resources into military production due to the constant military buildup and threat from the United States.

Add to that the cost of assistance to peoples trying to throw off imperialism, the space race, etc. and it is obvious why there weren't enough consumer goods produced.

3A CCCP!
Mikhail

[Yehuda Stern]

There was no Soviet "state capitalism" and no goal to increase state-owned capital (that's a ludicrous statement on your part that sounds like something one might have read in the bourgeois press of that era!)

That's real hilarious, that one about the bourgeoisie saying that the USSR is state capitalist. It's almost like you never read anything written by an anti-Communist.

[Comrade B]

Greatest invention ever
Tetris.