Word: agate
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...with a missile guidance system designed in the U.S. The Soviets do not even attempt to create their own computers anymore: the Kremlin's mainframe RIAD computer is IBM's 360 and 370 series of mainframes, right down to the color of its wires, while the Soviet AGAT personal computer is a copy of the Apple...
...biggest questions are what kinds of computers will be used and where they will come from. Personal computers first appeared in the U.S. in the mid 1970s, but the Soviets did not produce one until 1983. That maiden model, called the Agat, a shortened form of the name Agatha, is a crude copy of the Apple II, one of the first personal computers sold...
...Soviets have yet to produce the Agat in large quantities, and its quality is still suspect. Leo Bores, an eye surgeon and computer buff from Scottsdale, Ariz., tried out the Agat on a visit to the Soviet Union and wrote about his findings in last November's Byte magazine. Bores, who facetiously dubbed Agat the Yabloko (Russian for apple), discovered that the Soviet machine performs some tasks 30% slower than an Apple. The Soviets would not be able to export Agat to the West, he says, "even if they gave it away." Stephen Bryen, a top Defense Department expert...
Soviet officials plan to use both the Agat and Timur in the high school computer program, but they are apparently concerned about being able to produce enough machines for its students. As a result, the Soviets may buy thousands of Western-made ones. In January the U.S. Government loosened slightly its restrictions on computer exports to the Soviet Union. The new rules will allow shipment of relatively less powerful personal computers, such as the Apple II and the IBM PC. Since that change, the Soviets have held preliminary talks with IBM, Apple and Commodore International and with other companies...
Even if the Soviets decide to import thousands of machines, the Kremlin is not expected to permit a Western-style computer revolution. The government has not allowed ordinary Soviet citizens to own personal computers. Even if the machines became available, few people could afford one. The Agat costs at least $3,600, far more than the typical worker's annual salary...