bcw (06/23/82)
Re: Microprocessors for Russian shuttle, etc. From: Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University It wouldn't be too difficult at all to smuggle microprocessors out of the country. The problem which Ken Thompson ran into was that he was trying to ship his chess machine (Belle) out to the conference *legally*, and this wouldn't bother someone who was trying to smuggle something out. How do you think we get so much heroin in here? It isn't made here (to an appreciable extent), and the authorities are QUITE hostile to it (no flames about libertarianism and so forth, the topic has probably already been exhausted for as much good as it will do). In addition, there is the enormous area of Canada; there are very few customs checks between the US and Canada (and even if there were, it would still be trivial to buy the microprocessors there and smuggle them out of the (much harder to police) country. And we haven't even discussed Europe yet... Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University
kjl (06/23/82)
I remember going through an issue of SOVIET EXPORT magazine about two years ago and finding an artice on the latest in Soviet computer technology. The machine that they were touting was extremely similar in both basic design and appearance to the PDP-11. Of course, I wouldn't ever suggest that the similar- ity was anything but a coincidence..... Ken Lebowitz (iuvax!kjl)