story of computing in the former ddr from robert schubert, written in a former used language: "Mit dem Erwerb von Rechnern werden ganze Kollektive für die Erarbeitung von Software notwendig. Das Potential für diese Aufgaben wächst damit weiter an auf Kosten zusätzlicher Dezentralisierung."

some early machines are mentioned: OPREMA, D1,2,3,4 to cellatron SER2, robotron 100, .... (more on un otra site)

middle of 80s: so called "softwarecrisis" in the former ddr: ".. ein immer größerer Teil der Projektierungskapazität musste für die Wartung und Pflege bereits fertiger Produkte eingesetzt werden. 1984 wurden in der DDR über 50% für diese Arbeit aufgewendet.

ending finally in a law, that somehow hacked the political ideology:

GBl. vom 16.11.1987/I.Nr.28: text of a east german law, that allows privat suppliers to get paid for maximum of 600 hours per year for developing sw in their leisure time: "Honorarleistung - Softwareleistung: Danach ist es dem privaten Anbieter von Softwareleistung möglich, im Jahr bis zu 600 Stunden in seiner Freizeit zur Entwicklung von Software für Betriebe und andere Einrichtungen auf vertraglicher Basis aufzuwenden."

interesting also the paragraph about "nachnutzung" (sorry brian, can´t translate)

didn´t know that robotron also was in erfurt: industrievertrieb robotron, 5020 erfurt, juri-gagarin-ring

hey, i'm getting a flashback. i studied there and i know some of these things. my first experience with the internet was irc on the local vax.

during my school days and right after school i actually programmed some fortran in the veb carl zeiss jena. i used to sit on a sm4 (or cm4 in the article), which was a essentially russian pdp11 rip-off, and an EC1055, an east-german copy of some other computer by digital (meanwhile hp :). don't quote me on the rip-off story, that's what i was told.

Back than, floppy disks were like gold because they had to pay valuta for them. it was a big fuzz to get a new one if you messed one up.

Well, I'll be off for Frankfurt, and then Erfurt, soon. Who among you wound up electing to join us at NetObjectDays? I'll be in Erfurt sometime on Sun., but will probably be polishing my tutorial up to the last minute for Mon. morning :-)...

--BF, late-binding as usual...