Notes while reading the article "Red Clones" - Some comments about it.

Notes while reading the article "Red Clones"
 by Alone Coder

IEEE Annals of the History of Computing published an article about 
ZX Spectrum clones:
http://www.computer.org/csdl/mags/an/2015/01/ 
man2015010012-abs.html 

Some comments about it:

Leningrad is considered a descendant of the Novosibirsk variant or more 
early Lviv version - the very first Soviet clone
Spectrum (its authors described the history in several issues
Optron newspapers). These options are not as famous as Leningrad,
because they were not mass produced. They ascend to Leningrad
the following clones: Composit, Spectrum 48, Ural-48K, Vesta IK-30,
Electronics KR-005, Kontact, CICh-48, Sunkar (listed - 
most likely close copies), then Scorpion and KAY, perhaps
other St. Petersburg clones. The peculiarity of these boards is that they are
one memory field, where everywhere there is the same delay for an even clock cycle
when accessed in the M1 processor cycle. There is no information on the Internet
about the mentioned Delta N (I saw only a photo), but the rest of the Deltas
were not Leningrads, they had two memory fields.

Moscow options resulted in Pentagon 48K from a radio amateur 
RAZAO (circa 1989) - he has timing without delays. To it
Beta 128 disk interface was often connected (some boards hadimmediately printed with this interface). Pentagon 48K - ancestor
Pentagon 128, ATM Turbo, Profi, GRM, 777 and possibly Compact. 

It is important to note that ALL OF THESE CLONES WERE QUITE RARE (i.e.
designed either for radio amateurs or for "serious
users" rather than regular players) compared to
factory models, which were usually 48K with something like
TZChVG1 as the main microcircuit. Unfortunately, most 
such toys were thrown out already in the 90s because they could not
compete with Dandy (NES clone) or "serious" clones
Spectrum.

The Corvette did not become popular because it lost the state 
tender for a school computer. Computerization of schools was conceived
Gosplan back in 1980, the document is in the archiveErshova - but
took a long time, because after the economic reform
Kosygin -Liberman (1965) we had more self-financing, 
than the plan.

──────────────────────────────── ───────────────────────────────┐ 
Game with Computer (USSR-1986) 

The film was most likely filmed in connection with the resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and
Council of Ministers of the USSR dated March 28, 1985 271"On measures to
ensuring computer literacy of secondary school students
establishments andwidespread introduction of electronic computer technology
into the educational process" based on the results of the April (1984) plenum of the Central Committee
KPSS. That is it's about introducing computers into schools. It all started
probably from an extract from a single target complex
scientific and technical program 0.Ts.047"Automation in industries
national economy based on microprocessor technology machines,
equipment and technological processes at all levels
production", approved by the Resolution of the State Committee for Science and Technology, the Academy of Sciences and the State Planning Committee
USSR dated 12/30/83 766/164/333: "Develop and manufacture
installation series of a typical computing room for schools and 
other educational institutions using microprocessor 
funds", with a deadline for developing technical specifications - 1984, 
corrected for 1st quarter 1985. Real technical requirements
were submitted on June 20, 1985, and the technical specifications were submitted on August 7, 1985. B
In general, there were problems.
I have not seen the resolution itself dated December 30, 1983, but here is the extract:
http://ershov-arc.iis.nsk.su/archive/eaimage.asp?lang=1&did=7950
&fileid=106332 . There was moreGeneral Agreement of Member Countries
CMEA dated June 10, 1982 on cooperation in development and broad
the use of microprocessor technology in the national economy, and
there was a topic about educational computing:
http://ershov-arc.iis.nsk.su/archive/eaimage.asp?lang=1
&did=42896&fileid=226730 . In addition, there was another resolution
GKNT, State Planning Committee of the USSR and USSR Academy of Sciences 475/251/131 dated 12.12.80,
program 0.80.14, task 33.09 and decision of the USSR Academy of Sciences 0119 from
05/26/81:
http://ershov-arc.iis.nsk.su/archive/eaimage.asp?lang=1
&did=42872&fileid=226678
───────────────────────── ─────────────────── ───────────────────┘ 

One source from the Institute of Informatics Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences mentions
visitGorbachev to the plant producing Spectrums in December 1984
year:http://www.novsu.ru/file/866256
Other Western cars were also considered.Gorbachev visited and
companyCDC:http://forum.ixbt.com/topic.cgi?id=64:3394-179#4282

The tender was won by UK-NTs (Electronics MS-0511). They were released
about 310,000, all delivered to schools (separately, as far as
known to have not been sold). There was also a “serious” personal
DVK computer, partially compatible with UK-NTs and BK-0010/0011, its
released about 200,000 copies, including retail
sale (as well as 162000 BK-0010/0011). The state has also purchased
school classes based on MSX (Mikhail Ryazansky named the numbers
5500 MSX1 and approximately 20000 MSX2. "Back in 1989, Kato told me
said that he sold 80,000 MSX2 in the USSR. Most likely it was 
the estimated size of the purchase, but in reality no money was found") and 
IBM, so soon domestic computers became 
non-competitive. Nevertheless, computer
classes even on Spectrums (Hobbit, YULDUZ and based oniS-DOS).

The problem was that we didn't make floppy disks until 1991
year. Floppy disks were imported through joint ventures.
Computer manufacturers Hobbit and Profi were also joint
enterprises.

The economic situation in general terms was as follows:
There was “cash payment” (that is, paper and metal
rubles), as well as “non-cash payments” (virtual rubles in
State Bank and Stroybank) and “currency” (i.e. money of others
states that could not be legally obtained, butit was possible
earn “certificates” for foreign currency if, for example, you are a writer
and your book is sold abroad - then foreign
the publishing house transfers money to you through the agencyVAAP ).

These three types of money did not change into each other, and this helped
control the flow of money. People bought food and equipment for
"cash payment" in stores, and luxury goods could be
buy for "currency" or "certificates" in the "Beryozka" store, but not
had access to virtual money of enterprises. State Bank could
transfer "cash" to "non-cash" and back only by
document signed by the director of the enterprise (so “revenue”
stores were transferred to “non-cash”, and factory
"non-cash" profits were transferred to "cash" salaries).

Radio components were produced for "non-cash payment" (i.e.
were sold for virtual money between enterprises) and rarely
got into stores. And on the radio markets there were stolen ones,
defective or soldered chips.

This system was broken in 1986-1987, with the advent of laws
“About the enterprise”, “About cooperation”, “About a joint venture”. C
From now on, firms could transfer “cash” to “non-cash” and
buy currency at auction - which is what they did to buy
goods abroad and sell them for rubles. It was fashionable at that time
for everything abroad. In the end, the country was left without a "currency"
which she receivedthrough export (and oil and gas were then
cheap), and fell into a deep debt hole. In addition,
the flow of “cash” and “non-cash” has ceased to be controlled, which
resulted in high inflation in 1991-1993. But at the same time
the "free market" appeared.

In 1987, CSTTM (centers for scientific and technical
youth creativity), where young inventors and businessmen
could start their own companies. Such companies were called NTK
(scientific and technical cooperatives). For example, this is howNTK appeared
"Plus", which produced the first domestic disk drives
interfaces for Spectrum - Beta 128 disk interface. From the same
region and the creative teamMicroArt, which developed and
sold Pentagon 128 and ATM Turbo - they had"Association
creative youth", and their outlet was right at VDNKh USSR
(see Radio 1990-11 p.30)