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Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

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Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#91

Post by chrisco255 »

elzbardico wrote: post #55
HayBale wrote: post #4

Not that I want to be Debbie downer but as always in case of Polish (which I am also are) overexaggerated and having that strange believe that if not the communists Poland would be a global superpower. Its enough to go the wiki (both about the computer and the inventor) to see that the situation was not that clear. The performance was greatly overstated, it depended on the import of the component from the west etc. M…

Yes. I love my Polish friends, but some of them have this strange mania of exageration and rewriting history as if Poland would be glorious empire if not from the subhuman soviets(russians actually), or because the envy of the evil germans.

I can believe it. Communism destroyed multiple countries. Look at the difference between North Korea and South Korea. Only capitalist reforms to communist countries improved things for places like China, which was every bit as worse off as Poland before they opened up trade and market based reforms in the 70s.

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#92

Post by dhosek »

bdjsiqoocwk wrote: post #52

I wonder if related to the karpinski from the Julia language.

If so, likely distantly. Stefan Karpinski is American-born (ca 1978) and there’s no indication that Jacek Karpiński had any close relatives in the US.

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#93

Post by dhosek »

atrus wrote: post #9
M95D wrote: post #3

The TLDR version is this: > Karpiński’s computer could be so small and resilient because it used Western components. Even though they were vital to the functioning of the K-202, [...] they were elements imported from beyond the Iron Curtain and used in the sensitive field of information processing.

Lets not gloss over this: >The manufacturer of Odra, the Elwro company, was, however, better connected with the regime than Karpiński. Instead of improving its product to catch up with the competition Elwro began to subvert Karpiński’s position in any way they could, not shying away from slander.

I think this, more than anything else was the key factor.

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#94

Post by dhosek »

brigadier132 wrote: post #45

> After World War II, the communist regime in Poland considered members of the resistance a threat to its existence, convinced that people who had risked their lives to free Poland of its Nazi oppressors could also act to undermine the new Soviet regime Interesting fact from the article...

That was a huge issue in the Soviet invasion of German-occupied Poland. As I recall, on more than one occasion, the Soviets held back while the Germans slaughtered the Polish resistance before moving in to take over various cities.

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#95

Post by jojobas »

drekipus wrote: post #84
jojobas wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was incredibly expensive to have dozens of research institutes work on esoteric architectures at their pleasure. The majority of the population worked their asses of in poverty to make thousands of tanks and dozens of submarines, not entertain some computer scientists.

Sounds like the problems of acrappy economic theory

The theory might or might not have worked if the leadership wasn't hell-bent on converting the entire world into their ideology by military force.

Which it kind of had to do lest their citizens noticed they live in abject poverty compared to other countries.

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#96

Post by jojobas »

brigadier132 wrote: post #45

> After World War II, the communist regime in Poland considered members of the resistance a threat to its existence, convinced that people who had risked their lives to free Poland of its Nazi oppressors could also act to undermine the new Soviet regime Interesting fact from the article...

Under Stalin starting an unsanctioned poetry club in college could send you straight to Gulag. Every aspect of social life had to be subordinate to the authorities. I'm surprised you're surprised.

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#97

Post by lolinder »

jojobas wrote: post #95
drekipus wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like the problems of acrappy economic theory

The theory might or might not have worked if the leadership wasn't hell-bent on converting the entire world into their ideology by military force. Which it kind of had to do lest their citizens noticed they live in abject poverty compared to other countries.

So in other words the crappy economic theory drove the militarism, lest the population recognize the fallout of the theory for what it was?

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#98

Post by jojobas »

lolinder wrote: post #97
jojobas wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The theory might or might not have worked if the leadership wasn't hell-bent on converting the entire world into their ideology by military force. Which it kind of had to do lest their citizens noticed they live in abject poverty compared to other countries.

So in other words the crappy economic theory drove the militarism, lest the population recognize the fallout of the theory for what it was?

It's not obvious that the militarism wasn't primary to the theory. World revolution won't make itself.

Re: Jacek Karpińśki, the computer genius the communists couldn't stand (2017)

#99

Post by topspin »

brigadier132 wrote: post #45

> After World War II, the communist regime in Poland considered members of the resistance a threat to its existence, convinced that people who had risked their lives to free Poland of its Nazi oppressors could also act to undermine the new Soviet regime Interesting fact from the article...

It's less interesting when you learn that this is a common pattern. See: Old Bolsheviks, Sturmabteilung, Ba'ath party purge and others. At some point the instruments of a successful power grab must be disposed of to consolidate power.
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