It has been noted that the relative poverty of Europe in the post-war period led to emphasis on what you call Theory B in those countries. Hardware or allocated

It has been noted that the relative poverty of Europe in the post-war period led to emphasis on what you call Theory B in those countries. Hardware or allocated processor time was not necessary to make theoretical progress. The wealthy US was doing much more in the way of computations on real hardware and algorithms and complexity (Theory A) became a crucial focus for equally pragmatic reasons. You still design the new theoretical object on paper, of course... I think I've mentioned this theory before, and I'd love some corroboration or counterexamples.