Frequently asked questions about Pioneers of Soviet Computing:

* Is this book available at my local bookstore, or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble?

No, it is only available on this website. You can purchase the complete pdf version for $10.00 via paypal by registering as a user on this website.

* Why isn't this book available in bookstores?

Read the publishing process section of this website to find out.

* Why do I have to register as a user on the site in order to purchase the book?

We require registration in order to accurately track book sales for tax reporting, for the purposes of improving the site, and to keep the comments and forums sections free of spam, unwanted internet phishing, and other fraud.

* Is my registration information secure?

Your registration information is completely secure, and will never be sold, traded, or released to any electronic or paper sales distribution lists.

* How factual is this book? What kind of research did the author undertake in preparing it for publication?

This work is primarily a memoir composed by the author during the early 1990s when he was allowed to speak openly for the first time about many of the subjects he covers. Memoirs are by nature subject to an author's personal biases, and this work is no exception. But, as the author states clearly in his introduction, this book represents only one side of the story of computing in the USSR; the rest remains to be explored. The author's research for this work was based on numerous oral interviews he conducted with many of the characters discussed in the book, and to a lesser degree documents he obtained from the Ukraine Academy of Sciences and from colleagues in the Russian Federation. Sadly, much primary documentary evidence on early Soviet computing was destroyed due to lack of foresight and/or Cold War secrecy.

* What's with the site name, sovietcomputing.com? Is this a pro-Soviet/pro-Russia site?

The domain name is easy both to google and to remember. Sovietcomputing.com is not a political advocacy site of any kind, and neither endorses nor criticizes the governmental system (past or present) of Russia or the nations of the former USSR. What you will find here is primarily the contents of the book Pioneers of Soviet Computing, along with several interesting web and blog links, discussion forums, and photos that are in one way or another related to this book, the history of computing, and computer and information technology policy as it is shaping our world today.

* How can I get involved and help support this project?

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* I would like to get in touch with the author and/or editor. How do I do that?

You can contact the author and/or editor using the contact form.