[Soviet Cybernetics : Recent News Items], No. 20.

This issue features a 16-page survey of Soviet computer technology, as well as a number of other informative articles. A computerized linguistic information system is being developed at the new structural typology and linguistical statistics laboratory of Moscow University. Ever-increasing production of calculating equipment still lags far behind demand, and existing computers are often inefficiently used, due partly to lack of trained personnel. A number of economic institutes do not even have punchcard equipment, and it may be necessary for them to buy equipment abroad. Each ruble invested in R&D adds 1.45 rubles to the national income, compared with only 39 kopeks gain from ordinary capital investment. Several brief reports are included on conferences on automata theory, on control systems, on optimizing production and distribution, and on the mathematization of knowledge; the contributions of Ukrainian economists; the possibility of a time-sharing computer system; designing water supply networks on the MAVR analog computer; the use of computers in education and statistical linguistics; automated control systems, particularly in electrical power, chemistry, and metallurgy; and chess and heuristic programming. 88 pp.