[cctalk] Re: Soviet PDP clones

IIRC a broker in Toronto was arrested for illegally shipping a black market VAX to the USSR. The sad part of it was that it would have been quote a legal end-use if the appropriate paperwork was done, but this made it four times the price!, Nigel Johnson, MSc., MIEEE, MCSE VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU Amateur Radio, the origin of the open-source concept! Skype: TILBURY2591 On 2022-10-17 18:40, Douglas Taylor via cctalk wrote: > On 10/17/2022 2:57 PM, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk wrote: >> On 10/17/22 14:47, Joshua Rice via cctalk wrote: >>> Hi all, >>> >>> After some discussion on reddit about russian PDP-11 clones, i made >>> the (perhaps erronous) claim that the PDP series in general was >>> cloned by the Soviets. >>> >>> I’m aware that there was a lot of QBUS/LSI PDP-11 clones, and depite >>> poor documentation, there is significant evidence of PDP-8 clones. >>> Also, depite not strictly a “PDP”, the VAX series was also cloned. >> >> I am not aware of any VAX clones but during the height of the >> cold war real VAX were frequently illegally moved to the USSR >> via India who had no problems with violating their agreements >> with their allies. >> >> Just like someone in the US bought a copy of BSD Unix for the >> VAX and it was known to have been smuggled out of the country >> in a diplomatic pouch via the Russian Embassy in DC. >> >> bill >> > In the mid 1980's I went to inspect a complete VAX 780 that had been > confiscated by the US Gov't and was to be auctioned off. This was in > the Wash DC area and the computer was configured for 50Hz power and > was destined for  South Africa.  Its true destination was somewhere > else, probably Russia.  It didn't make sense that the auction was open > to the public, but the equipment was export restricted. >