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I'm puzzled this article has "history" in the title. It would be more appropriately called "a few funny fiction stories and some cheap spin-doctoring on soviet

I'm puzzled this article has "history" in the title. It would be more appropriately called "a few funny fiction stories and some cheap spin-doctoring on soviet computer science." Somehow it does not mention this guy, who could be called Soviet von Neumann: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Alexeyevich_Lebedev http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Alexeyevich_Lebedev On the other hand it does not mention von Neumann either, it talks about Norbert Wiener, whose theories have doubtful contribution to computer science. The critical articles about his theories in Soviet media were pretty ridiculous, but hardly had any effect on the development of computers or control theory in SU. The author mentions nobody else relevant to the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrey_Ershov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrey_Ershov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgy_Adelson-Velsky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgy_Adelson-Velsky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Lyapunov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Lyapunov https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%93%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD_%D0%A1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5... Perhaps the author took inspiration for his article from the worst examples of Soviet propaganda. Twisting the facts, mixing them with fiction in such a way that is hard to tell one from another.

Alex_Notchenko 11y ago
Article doesn't have "history" in it's title, HN submission has. Title on site is "How the Computer Got Its Revenge on the Soviet Union". > some cheap spin-doctoring on soviet computer science this article is actually reworked version of "Gerovitch, Slava. "InterNyet: why the Soviet Union did not build a nationwide computer network." History and Technology 24.4 (2008): 335-350." which has a lot of reference and citations. And article main subject is not history of computer science in USSR, it's about problems of creating huge computer networks in particular political-ideological environment. I don't see how this attempt of informing about attempts of creating Internet in USSR diminishes achievements of great Scientists that you've mentioned. It mentions "MESM", which was created by Lebedev, it's certainly close enough without changing the subject of article. > Twisting the facts, mixing them with fiction in such a way that is hard to tell one from another. Where exactly fact twisting is in the article? [0] http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/articles/Gerovitch-InterNyet.pdf http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/articles/Gerovitch-InterNy...

Alex_Notchenko 11y ago

Article doesn't have "history" in it's title, HN submission has. Title on site is "How the Computer Got Its Revenge on the Soviet Union". > some cheap spin-doctoring on soviet computer science this article is actually reworked version of "Gerovitch, Slava. "InterNyet: why the Soviet Union did not build a nationwide computer network." History and Technology 24.4 (2008): 335-350." which has a lot of reference and citations. And article main subject is not history of computer science in USSR, it's about problems of creating huge computer networks in particular political-ideological environment. I don't see how this attempt of informing about attempts of creating Internet in USSR diminishes achievements of great Scientists that you've mentioned. It mentions "MESM", which was created by Lebedev, it's certainly close enough without changing the subject of article. > Twisting the facts, mixing them with fiction in such a way that is hard to tell one from another. Where exactly fact twisting is in the article? [0] http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/articles/Gerovitch-InterNyet.pdf http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/articles/Gerovitch-InterNy...