Big Time 1958

"That's right!" Colonel Koskitov affirmed Serov's statement and said sullenly, "But like your KGB, our leaders are only interested in faster and smaller computers, and in the control of serving communism. Regardless of whether we are interested, we can actually try it out in this area…”

   Based on the use of electronic computers, the management of manual and individual forms has been transformed into the management of automated systems, thereby completely changing and improving the methods and means of economic management. Colonel Koskitov once proposed to install computers in several large enterprises and government agencies first, then connect these computers to form a large complex or network, and finally establish a unified automatic management system for the national economy.

Serov can understand the wonderful prospect that Colonel Koskitov is talking about, but there is one problem that cannot be solved only by the success of academic theory. Serov himself can see at a glance an unacceptable feature of this cybernetics. , once the control network serving the national planned economy is established, there will be many people in the cadre class of the entire Soviet Union to the point where they have nothing to do, in other words, there will be a large number of cadres that look very redundant.

   So it will happen that once a nationwide computer network and automated management system for the entire economy is successfully established, the cadres of the entire coalition will fall into idleness. In other words, this is a **** problem, not an academic one. The establishment of a nationwide computer network and an automated management system will make the current Soviet cadres into a dispensable situation. So is this system suitable for the United States? The answer is the same as inappropriate. Americans will never put forward this theory that completely serves the planned economy. Otherwise, the United States will be no different from the Soviet Union. Since everyone is a planned economy, the attitude of the United States and the Soviet Union to confront and hostile to the Soviet Union is more ridiculous. .

   In short, the Soviet Union has the academic soil for cybernetics. But there is also the economic soil of this theory, but not the political soil of cybernetics. As for the cybernetic political soil in the United States, there are no other conditions.

"Comrade Serov, this is the appeal issued by our cybernetics experts last year, look at it!" Colonel Koskitov attaches great importance to Serov, a new student. There are so many big figures in Moscow, but when it comes to the KGB department, people often What I think of is the first vice-chairman Serov who has made great progress in the past eight years. This is mainly because of the huge size of the KGB that cannot be ignored, and the presence of Serov frequently appears in hot spots.

   If it wasn't for the fact that he had just resigned from the NKVD to Lieutenant General Alexey, Serov would have been the first vice-chairman of the three directorates. Even now the General Administration of Defense Intelligence and the General Administration of Military Administration are led by this young man.

  The most successful security cadre since the establishment of the Soviet State Security Council, this halo is well known even by Colonel Koskitov, an officer of the Ministry of Defense.

   took over Colonel Koskitov's document, and Serov knew at a glance that it was absolutely in line with his conjecture. As mentioned above, the national economic automatic management system based on the unified regional network of the information computing center will provide means for the automatic collection of economic data, planning and resource allocation, banking and traffic control.

   They claim that it only takes a computer two or three minutes to do what a human would do in a week. Consider that in various regional economic councils and individual businesses, almost a million people are involved in the processing of supply documentation. This possible saving looks very large. The introduction of computers will drastically reduce supply planning time from three or four months to three days, cut management in half and reduce the cost of supply management to one-fifth. They believe that the cost of installing the computer will be recouped within two years. They promised that computers would greatly improve the efficiency and productivity of economic management, laying the groundwork for a national economic boom.

   Once it really succeeds, it will undoubtedly be a big earthquake for the cadre class of the Soviet Union. No wonder Khrushchev also did not agree to this plan. Serov closed the document and said, "Comrade Koskitov. If I remember correctly, you must have had a hard time in the Ministry of Defense recently, you must have been marginalized..."

   As the head of the secret service, Serov is very clear about the movement of another powerful department. If Koskitov is not currently being excluded, he will not find this person as his teacher. Out of professional habit, that is, to get the feeling that I can see you, but you can't see me, the KGB is very interested in the application of various new technologies to the field of intelligence. As a KGB One of the bosses, Serov is no exception. Cybernetics? Control the whole world? There is a sense of omniscience and omnipotence.

   "Stay for dinner, let's talk slowly!" Serov invited Koskitov with a warm smile. Behind that smile is the excitement of taking over the vision of alliance-wide communications through a revolution in computer technology. As for whether the KGB will face a large number of layoffs after its success, it doesn't matter, Serov can send these extra people abroad. Spy work is never afraid of crowds.

"Just like the problems we encounter in many of our jobs, I never doubt the assumptions of scientists in various industries, just like the communism we are practicing, but in the specific implementation we will always encounter various problems. Control The concept of cybernetics can be regarded as an idealized life in the future. The only thing that is not suitable is that our current technological development still cannot support the concept of cybernetics. As a new thing, you and your friends With such an advanced theory, should we consider the normal development of computers?" Colonel Koskitov, surrounded by hundreds of professional KGBs in the public canteen at No. 11 Lubyanka Square, started from the previous The presenter becomes the audience.

Shelov's history of computer development is limited to knowing a few key terms, but these terms are basically enough, the first generation of tube computers, the second generation of transistor computers, and the third generation of small and medium-scale integrated circuit computers. , Literally he doesn't even know which generation he is using in future generations, but one thing is certain, the transistor industry in the Soviet Union has not solved the problem of reliability, even if Colonel Koskitov's imagination is carried out. Implementation, it is estimated that the computer network of the whole Soviet Union is also propped up by electronic tube computers.

These experts in cybernetics have developed a plan that exceeds the affordability of computers in the 1960s on the existing basis. Even if the green light is approved by Khrushchev, it is estimated that a batch of computers with electron tubes will be produced, and then transistors will appear. The tube is being eliminated, and the integrated circuit is eliminating the transistor. Just like the Soviet Union has to build a communist society under the existing conditions, from Koskitov's mouth, Serov assessed how to wait for the transistor technology to mature, and maybe it will be directly integrated with integrated circuits. The most optimistic estimate is that it will take ten years.

As a spy chief of the intelligence department, Serov can talk to the expert from very shallow knowledge at this time, because the sources of information on the two sides are quite unequal, and Serov has the entire KGB global network as information support, if not enough, it doesn't matter , and their own future memories. Colonel Koskitov's field of expertise was limited to computer theory, and perhaps a little knowledge of transistors. In this way, the discussion between the two sides is very simple. Although Serov only knows a little bit of everything, but he does not know too much, he can also chat with the expert Koskitov. Talk in depth where you know too much.

"First of all, the development of transistors must be applied to the computer field, otherwise the computer you plan will be too large, and it will be quickly eliminated when it is launched!" Serov cited his last visit to the Leningrad Institute. According to research by his teacher Kraslov, "In terms of size, transistors are lighter. Ordinary vacuum tubes are about the size of a light bulb, while ordinary transistors are only the size of a soybean. In terms of size, transistors are more solid. Because transistors do not have filaments , metal plates and other fragmentary components, so the structure is much stronger than the vacuum tube, and the life expectancy of the transistor is much longer than that of the vacuum tube. And the vacuum tube in military equipment is inevitably bumped. Compared with energy consumption, transistors are more economical. The same In terms of magnification, the power consumed by transistors is generally only one-fourth of that of vacuum tubes, or even less. Moreover, vacuum tubes must have a preheating time when they are turned on, and the filament must reach a certain temperature to "bake" enough electrons to achieve amplification. Transistors are Otherwise, it will immediately enter the working state as soon as it is turned on, not only will it not waste precious power, but more importantly, the response speed will be greatly improved."

"The replacement of electronic tubes and transistors may be today or this year. Anyway, it won't be too long, Mr. Koskitov, do you still think that a cybernetic network must be established so quickly?" Shelov looked at the silent Kos Colonel Kitov asked with a smile.

   "I also went to the research institute of Susannah and her teacher Kraslov. At that time, the research on transistors had not progressed!" Koskitov said in surprise.

Serov pointed to his epaulette indifferently and said, "Sometimes our scientists need a way of thinking. When our scientists can't get out of the misunderstanding, they need another way of thinking as a reference. In fact, our KGB is also an intelligence. Department, though not quite..."

At present, the Leningrad Institute already has samples of transistors from its counterparts in the United States. Of course, this is due to the work of the KGB. In short, it is stealing. . Isn't there a saying that if you are not afraid of thieves, you are afraid of thieves... (To be continued~^~)