Dismissed Discussion on Discrete Circuitry

[STRATCOM]

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Technology Report Name of Origin Country: Vestor Licit People's Mandate & Licit Chiri Mandate Name of Technology/Object: Discrete Circuitry Supporting Real Life References: [1] - Charles Alexander and Matthew Sadiku (2004). "Fundamentals of Electric Circuits". McGraw-Hill. [2] - John Hayes (1993). "Introduction to Digital Logic Design". Addison Wesley.
Report Description: A discrete circuit is a combination of electronic components through which current can flow[1]. Variations in the flow of electric current can represent information, allowing the discrete circuit's use in computing electronics[2]. Individual components such as resistors and transistors are connected by wires. Increases in component miniaturization and efficient design allow for computers as small as a living room for industrial or government applications such as ballistic trajectory plotting, VOX synthesis and routing, and workforce allocation. The main advantage to discrete circuitry over foreign alternatives is its legendary resistance to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) damage. MANINTERN nations trade processing power for an amount of EMP hardening that would be considered doubly or triply redundant by robber-baron democracies. Discrete circuitry fulfills the information technology component of the MANINTERN continuity of government plans in event of nuclear war or E-Bomb detonation. Show ContentImages: Image 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic...lifier.png Image 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic...ms_law.png Show ContentSpecifications: N/A, varies by need and region

[Ayzek]

Queries: what is the processing power a computer build using this technology? Is Vestor Licit depending on a network of these to do the job of one modern computer in the robber-baron democracies? Is this technology widespread, being phased out, being used primarily by the government for its advantages against EM attack, or being used alongside computers using more modern technologies?

Additionally, can it handle a continuous Internet connection? Does MANINTERN use the International Internet or a closed national network?

[STRATCOM]

Esteemed technologist Ayzek, Mandate discrete circuitry is a specialization of computing technology developed beyond the stepping-stone discrete circuitry the rest of the world discarded on its way to integrated circuits. Mandate discrete circuitry is made using the latest manufacturing methods and materials for computing that is less efficient kilo-for-kilo than integrated circuitry, but is far more resistant to EM attack, overvoltage, and other traditional failure modes. Discrete circuitry computers are used primarily for government and military work requiring EMP hardening and redundancies. A civil network exists for higher tiered citizens, but uses integrated circuitry and is considered expendable in an EM attack due to its lack of EMP resistance.

Mandate nations do participate in the degenerate International Internet, with the TLDs of the Vestor Licit People's Mandate and the Licit Chiri Mandate being .vs and .ch respectively. However, unfiltered access is a CT4/MT4+ meritocratic privilege and such distinguished citizens have little use for foreign digital propaganda. This results in a low participation rate.

[Ayzek]

Mmm...and how does this have better EMP resistance, exactly?

[STRATCOM]

Esteemed technologist, discrete circuits lack the microchips and other semiconductor components that burn out in an EM attack. Discrete circuits are of discrete components such as transistors and resistors, hence the name. These analog components do not respond as drastically to the sudden current of an EMP as integrated circuitry does, increasing their survivability.

[Zabuza825]

Esteemed technologist, discrete circuits lack the microchips and other semiconductor components that burn out in an EM attack. Discrete circuits are of discrete components such as transistors and resistors, hence the name. These analog components do not respond as drastically to the sudden current of an EMP as integrated circuitry does, increasing their survivability.

Whoa, wait a minute, are you talking about vacuum tube's?

Cause, to quote the article,

Therefore, if we go back to “old fashioned” electronics, we can both store and maintain EMP resistant devices.

There are reasons why we moved to semiconductor technology, you know. They are:

• Semiconductors could be made smaller than vacuum tubes.
  
• Semiconductors are cheaper to produce than vacuum tubes.
  
• Semiconductors are longer lasing than vacuum tubes.
  
• Because of the smaller size of semiconductors, they could be packed into smaller, more complex circuits, paving the way for the modern CPU.
  

That's not to say semiconductors aren't without flaws. They are susceptible to EMP bursts, as you say, though I do want to point out this branches out to basically all forms of radiation as well. Electrons also take longer to travel through a solid than a vacuum, so computing isn't as fast as it could be with a semiconductor. That said, the vacuum tubes of old had major problems that impeded development, which is why they were abandoned when the semiconductor was invented. Today they're only used in audio stuff (for example, guitar amps) and radio stations (has something to do with the fact that radio antennas sometimes use ludicrous amounts of power, but I'm not 100% sure).

That's not to say scientists aren't trying to develop an alternative to semiconductors - they are. NASA and the US military is particularly interested in this, since NASA has to deal with space radiation and the US military is worried about nuclear weapons.

However, the technology is still in it's infancy. It's not even at a level that can be compared to semiconductors. Most of the examples of such circuitry I can find are nothing more than proofs-of-concepts, and not anything meant to actually be used by people.

For example, we do have the technology to miniature-fy a vacuum tube into a 150 nanometer chip. However, it has major problems. It's ridiculously expensive to produce, and uses 10 times the amount of power (this proof-of-concept requires 10 volts of power, a comparable semiconductor would require only 1 volt) which renders it incompatible with modern circuits. Not to mention that Intel has been making CPU's with a minimum feature size of 14 nm, much smaller than the 150 nm that this vacuum tube is.

Even if you aren't talking specifically about vacuum tubes, the question just then becomes what exactly you're talking about. Traditional transistors and resistors aren't really a viable replacement for a semiconductor after all. There are people working on it, such as a team at the Uslan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). That said, the details on UNIST's efforts are remarkably vague, so I'd guess it's still very early in development.

Does this tech have the potential to change a lot? Hell yeah. I think it'd be amazing to see it in action.

But, I don't think we're anywhere near developing this past a proof-of-concept in real life.

[Ayzek]

From my understanding, vacuum tubes are considered a discrete component. Or, at least, can be a discrete component. I don't think he was claiming that he build alternative PCs that rivaled modern PCs in scale and speed, but room-sized PCs using updated legacy technology that is nearly invulnerable to EMP attack...but slower. And likely requiring more maintenance.

The article you linked to about miniaturizing the vacuum tube is definitely helpful. I was wondering how small he could go and 150nm seems to be it. So his government and military's central computers would still be at least ten times larger than commercial alternatives.

What I'm more concerned about is whether or not these legacytech computers can handle modern OS and software/GUIs,or if they're stuck in the age of punch cards and code screens and junk? Can someone dig up something on that?

[STRATCOM]

From my understanding, vacuum tubes are considered a discrete component. Or, at least, can be a discrete component. I don't think he was claiming that he build alternative PCs that rivaled modern PCs in scale and speed, but room-sized PCs using updated legacy technology that is nearly invulnerable to EMP attack...but slower. And likely requiring more maintenance.

The article you linked to about miniaturizing the vacuum tube is definitely helpful. I was wondering how small he could go and 150nm seems to be it. So his government and military's  central computers would still be at least ten times larger than commercial alternatives.

What I'm more concerned about is whether or not these legacytech computers can handle modern OS and software/GUIs,or if they're stuck in the age of punch cards and code screens and junk? Can someone dig up something on that?

Esteemed technologist Azyek, you are correct on all counts. Mandate mainframe computers trade a large size cost and significantly lower processing power for EM resistance. These computers are maintained through a proprietary programming language and are not connected to the International Internet. Direct keyboard input is encouraged where resources allow, but some legacy systems maintain instruction punch card backups in case of emergency. Mandate computing centers are well staffed to ensure mainframe computing can handle emergency state needs like ballistic trajectories even through the EMP interference of a nuclear exchange.

[Ayzek]

Given the lack of new information and a disinterest in executing its own research, the Directorate will now process this claim. Considering the above information, the Directorate:

• dismisses this submission,
  
• affirms that discrete circuitry is available in-game to all countries, and
  
• acknowledges that it is the primary computer technology used by the Vestor Licit/Licit Chiri governments for its EMP resistance capabilities.
  

Additionally, the Directorate summarizes that while discrete circuitry (and more specifically: vacuum tubes) have achieved greater miniaturization than at its real-life height of use, it is nonetheless not a rival to semiconductors in that respect. In-game computer systems using discrete circuitry must be at least 10x larger and generally slower than a semiconductor-based unit of similar power.

[STRATCOM]

Esteemed technologist Ayzek, thank you for your input and confirmation.