I was born in 1973 in Czechoslovakia. It was a small country in the middle of Europe, unfortunately on the dark side of the Iron Curtain. We had never been a part of Soviet Union (as many think), but we were so-called “Soviet Satellite”, side by side with Poland, Hungary, and East Germany.
My hobbies were electronics and – in the middle of 80s – computers. The history of computers behind the Iron Curtain is very interesting, with a lot of unusual moments. For example – communists at first called cybernetics as “bourgeois’ pseudoscience” (as well as sociology or semiotics), “used to enslave a mankind by machines”. But later on they understood the importance of computers, primarily for science and army. So in 50s the Eastern Bloc started to build its own computers, separately and “in its own way”.
Absolutely, positively, fascinating. History is written by the winners, so I’m very happy we’re still getting the other side of the story, too.
Although the where plenty of local Z80 clones in my country ( http://www.homecomputer.de/pages/easteurope_ro.html ), and I even used one in school ( see HC-85 there ), my parents got me a cheaper russian Byte ( http://zxspectrum48.i-demo.pl/clones_pliki/Byte_black.jpg ) in ’94, which I still have, yes the keyboard is gone rather bad, but IIRC I got it working ok some years ago by sending TZX ( digital copies of tapes ) via audio from my PC and it had a sweet Kempston joystick aviation-like (not the red button variety but one with real microswitches AFAIK).
But man I was envious of my uncle who had a Cobra (see first link and scroll down): CP/M and diskettes ( 8″, 5,25″, 3.5″ ).
Edited 2015-01-04 15:44 UTC
My school was equipped with various KCs which provided my entry to “computer sports” (before I had access to a mainframe system):
http://robotrontechnik.de/index.htm?/html/arbeitsplaetze/computerka…
With an U880 (Z80) clone CPU, they were usually combined with cassette tapes (no diskettes!) and a TV. Instantly available development environment (BASIC) with a REPL. 🙂 All possible with an 8-bit U880D at 1.7 MHz, 32 or 64 kB RAM, 16 kB ROM (plus 4kB ROM with CAOS) and 16 kB IRM; 320×256 px with 16 foreground and 8 background colors, and 2 sound generators.
My personal collection still contains KC 85/3 and KC85/4 built by VEB Mikroelektronik Mühlhausen, and KC87 by VEB Robotron-Elektronik Dresden. Needless to say that they are still fully working.
You can find some pictures here:
http://robotrontechnik.de/index.htm?/html/computer/kc_muehlhausen.h…
http://robotrontechnik.de/index.htm?/html/computer/kc_dresden.htm
Even though they are mainly Z80 clones, design and implementation are still interesting, especially when you consider the context of embargo regulations, shortage on resources, obligation of reparations and other factors critically influencing an economy.
From time to time, I use those computers. It’s funny how it seems to be impossible to “un-learn” how to operate them. After all, their use is so simple, I’d even say it’s an easier approach to programming than today’s “modern” PCs where you usually need to install a lot of stuff in order to start programming (especially if you happen to run “Windows”), or do it online, but still you have all the distracting stuff on your screen, on your machine. It’s not that you can just switch it on and immediately start writing code. Yes, I know, that’s comparing apples and oranges… 😉
I find the PMD 85-1 oddly fascinating.
I know what you mean. It reminds me of an Apple ][ in a slightly streamlines case and a colorful keyboard.
Oh, and check out didaktik beta http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Didaktik_Beta.jpg – also an east european beauty
Yes, it was fascinating. Mono display, and the first game we could play, was the Manic Minner. Together with my friend we programmed simple game called Continents 🙂 PMD-85-2 had few colors, but crashed a lot of SW. And then I got ZX Spectrum 48, later on the Amiga 500. Those were the times 🙂
My feelings exactly! Please keep these articles coming as you find them.
Recommended reading:
http://www.amazon.com/Geeks-behind-Curtain-Kristian-Benic-ebook/dp/…
What a BS text (I mean about the quoted text).
Even brainwashed people from the other side of the “iron curtain” shouldn’t fall to sleep with it.
And if someone is even getting holograms, about those mentioned satellite countries, as something potential because they are now geopolitically in EU let me sing “Boing Boom Tschak” to you.
Aside from 8-bit machines, in late 1980s there was an attempt in Poland to build PC-compatible computer from parts available in the eastern block. The result was Mazovia: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazovia_1016
In a similar way, robotron built (partially) comatible PCs on the basis of K1810WM86 (8086), manufactured in the soviet union, and U80601 (80286) CPU. Even an 80386 clone has been introduced, but never went into production. You can see images here:
http://robotrontechnik.de/index.htm?/html/computer/a7100.htm
http://robotrontechnik.de/index.htm?/html/computer/ec1834.htm
http://robotrontechnik.de/index.htm?/html/computer/ec1835.htm
Similar to the KC “home computers”, they were hardly found in people’s homes. 🙂
History is written by the winners, so I’m very happy we’re still getting the other side of the story, too.
Well, people in the East Block won as well. Which is why they get to tell their side of what happened. The losers are not those living in the East Block; rather the losers are the rulers of those who lived in the East Block.
I was in high school during the late ’80s, in the communist Romania. As the profile of my high school was mathematics & physics, we had classes of Introduction in Computer Science consisting in BASIC programming on a dozen of HC-85 (clones of ZX Spectrum). Because we were over 30 students in a class, we had to rotate between computer use and traditional pen on paper education.
Having a HC-85 (or ZX Spectrum and other derivatives) at home wasn’t for everyone. This was not because they were prohibitively expensive, but because one couldn’t buy one except one was well connected to the privileged communist upper class (nomenklatura). Those really,really privileged could have a PC-AT. I’ve only seen one at that time, owned by the son of the local chief prosecutor. In my class, there was only one guy having owned a ZX Spectrum (his father was an Army general).
At the end of the day, I remember how I was writing lines of BASIC code at home, by hand, on paper and testing them in the lab when I could finally touch a computer, once in every three classes. Pretty hillarous, in retrospect.
Edited 2015-01-06 18:49 UTC