As an aside, I know that if technology progresses along Earth's current path this doesn't make sense, but this isn't Earth. In the Quental Main universe it turns out that societies have a choice between gravity control or advanced microelectronics, and the benefits of gravitics are too great to pass up.
Gravitics power much of their "modern" technology. Most vehicles use grav drives or at least AG/IC assist. Elevators in every multi-story building do likewise. Many tall buildings incorporate these devices in their construction, as well. All spaceships have AG/IC embedded in every bulkhead, and gravity based drive modules at the bow and stern. Even Jump Drive depends on Gravitic technology. Fusion power plants with gravitic assist are small and safe...and everywhere, but without gravitics you have to revert to fission piles or fossil fuels. No known society has ever been able to get hot fusion past break even without grav assist. So, it is clearly a technology these planets can't do without.
Here's the handwave: It turns out that Gravitics plays merry hell with advanced microelectronic devices. Whenever integrated circuits or transistors get around a CG/AG/IC device they begin to malfunction, they overheat, and quickly burn out. Such devices *can* be built, at a high cost, but even when heavily shielded they burn out quickly.
Electronic and computing device are normally equipped with a sensor to determine the current interference level from gravitics. If the grav interference level exceeds the safe limit for the device, using it will lead to malfunctions and breakdowns.
The MTBF for tube technology is short, but not as short as transistors and much longer than IC's in the presence of any working gravitic device. So, electronics, including computers, depends on tube technology, and heavily shielded and easy to pull and replace transistor/IC modules. Compared to current day electronic devices these are larger, more expensive, power hungry and slower.
Processing tends to be centralized at locations shielded from AG interference by distance and massive shielding. These Centralized computers can be very powerful, the largest exceeding current mainframes and super computers in our universe, or as powerful as our minicomputers in large closet sized boxes. These powerful computer systems are networked with data terminals all over a ship, building, city or even planet. Personal and room Data Terminals (dataterms) are the normal method of computing for most people.
Dataterms have a few heavily shielded (XT level) processors for limited local processing, graphical display and some non-MOS memory devices for local storage, but most data and most processing takes place at the central site. Displays on most dataterms are CRT's, although expensive plasma or liquid crystal displays are common on smaller portable dataterms. For advanced graphics use holographic projectors into display tanks. Display technology is comparable, or better, than current levels.
Storage is based on non-volatile, non-electronic technologies. Central systems have huge banks of "core." While there is still some true magnetic core in use, most systems use a phase change technology where intersecting electron beams cause a specific "bit" to change phase in a gel matrix. Storage densities exceed those available today for RAM/ROM, access time is about the same, but read/write time is a little slower.
Portable storage are commonly called disks or carts and come in several standard sizes. The two most common are the data card (100x90x5mm) holding 4gB, and the data cartridge (160x100x30mm) holding 48gB. The data card is often called a "disk", but it actually contains no disk. The data cartridge is commonly called a "cart" or "tape", but again contains no tape. Both store information in a gel matrix.
Programming tends to be more complex in operation, but less complex to create. Application programs are composed of a number of "widgets" put together to complete tasks, and executed by an interpretative operating system.. The "widgets" themselves are generally written as cross-platform p-codes and are therefore usable across most computer systems. Programming widgets are available to assist in creating programs for non-compatible computer systems.
Connectively is still mainly by wire or optical fiber, but infrared wireless connectively is widely available on end-user dataterms, pcs and laptops. Communications use software widgets to configure ports to any of several serial and parallel standards.
The last 50 years of contact and trade throughout the CSA have convinced computer designers there of the need for self-configuring connectively. This has lead to the development of mature techniques allowing computers of completely different designs to interconnect successfully. These technologies are spreading into surrounding states where CSA computer technology is still highly sought after.
Common Personal Computer Devices include...
Personal DataTerm (18x24x3cm) 500Cr
Infrared & wire standard connector to datanets. Standard
calculator functions. One card slot
Personal Handheld DataTerm (7x14x2cm) 800Cr
MDAS, roots and powers, trig functions. One card's worth of
storage. Infrared & wire standard connector to datanets.
Personal Computer (20x60x40cm)
XT level 2000Cr
AT level 3000Cr
486 level 4000Cr
P5 level 5000Cr
Personal Portable Computer (laptop)
XT level 5000Cr
AT level 7500Cr
486 level 10000Cr
P5 level 15000Cr
Small Computers
TL Price m3 CPU Storage
7 PC 10 k 1 2 1,000
8 PC 5 k 1 6 3,000
9 PC 7 k 1 4 2,000
10 PC 2 k 1 8 4,000
11 PC 2 k 1 18 10,000
12 PC 2 k 1 26 10,000
13 PC 2 k 1 32 12,000
14 PC 2 k 1 50 15,000
15 PC 2 k 1 66 16,000
Mini Computers
TL Price m3 CPU Storage
7 MiniComputer 20 k 4 10 1,000
8 MiniComputer 15 k 3 20 2,000
9 MiniComputer 10 k 3 30 3,000
10 MiniComputer 5 k 2 40 4,000
11 MiniComputer 5 k 2 90 10,000
12 MiniComputer 5 k 2 130 13,000
13 MiniComputer 5 k 2 160 16,000
14 MiniComputer 5 k 2 250 20,000
15 MiniComputer 5 k 2 330 25,000
Ship Mainframes
TL Price m3 CPU Storage
7 Mod-1 200 k 28 100 2,000
Mod-2 500 k 21 300 6,000
8 Mod-1 150 k 21 200 4,000
Mod-2 400 k 14 500 10,000
Mod-3 1800 k 28 700 15,000
9 Mod-1 100 k 14 300 6,000
Mod-2 200 k 14 700 15,000
Mod-3 1500 k 21 900 18,000
Mod-4 3000 k 28 1200 24,000
10 Mod-1 50 k 14 400 8,000
Mod-2 100 k 14 800 16,000
Mod-3 1000 k 14 1000 20,000
Mod-4 1500 k 21 1300 25,000
Mod-5 4000 k 28 2000 40,000
11 Mod-2 50 k 14 900 20,000
Mod-3 500 k 14 1200 24,000
Mod-4 1000 k 14 1400 30,000
Mod-5 2000 k 21 2200 45,000
Mod-6 5000 k 28 2500 50,000
12 Mod-3 200 k 14 1300 25,000
Mod-4 600 k 14 1500 30,000
Mod-5 1000 k 14 2300 50,000
Mod-6 3000 k 21 2700 55,000
Mod-7 6000 k 28 3000 60,000
13 Mod-4 300 k 14 1600 32,000
Mod-5 600 k 14 2400 48,000
Mod-6 2000 k 14 3000 60,000
Mod-7 4000 k 21 3200 64,000
14 Mod-5 300 k 14 2500 50,000
Mod-6 1000 k 14 3200 64,000
Mod-7 2000 k 14 3400 70,000
15 Mod-6 500 k 14 3300 66,000
Mod-7 1000 k 14 3500 75,000
16 Mod-6 200 k 14 3400 70,000
Mod-7 600 k 14 3600 80,000
17 Mod-7 400 k 14 4000 80,000
Software List
Routine Programs Price CPU Storage
Maneuver 10,000 100 500
Jump 1 10,000 100 1000
Jump 1+ 25,000 150 2000
Jump 2 30,000 100 2000
Jump 2+ 35,000 250 3000
Jump 3 40,000 200 3000
Jump 3+ 45,000 350 4000
Jump 4 50,000 300 4000
Jump 4+ 55,000 450 5000
Jump 5 60,000 400 5000
Jump 5+ 65,000 550 6000
Jump 6 70,000 500 6000
Astrogate 40,000 200 4000
Generate 80,000 400 4000
Anti-Hijack 10,000 50 500
Cartography 60,000 500 2000
Gravity Control 10,000 20 500
Power Systems 30,000 30 1000
Life Support 20,000 30 500
Sensor Control 30,000 40 800
Comm Profiling 60,000 300 2000
UniDatalink 50,000 200 4000
Library (Full) 20,000 10 20000
Library (module) 2,000 2 2000
Defensive Programs Price CPU Storage
Evade 1 100,000 100 500
Evade 2 200,000 200 500
Evade 3 300,000 300 500
Evade 4 400,000 400 500
Evade 5 500,000 300 500
Evade 6 600,000 200 500
Auto-Evade 50,000 200 800
Return Fire 50,000 100 400
Anti-Missile 100,000 200 800
ECM 400,000 500 1000
Damage Control 40,000 300 1000
Offensive Programs Price CPU Storage
Target 10,000 10 400
Gunner Interact 10,000 20 800
Selective 1 30,000 20 500
Selective 2 50,000 40 1000
Selective 3 100,000 30 1500
Central Fire Ctrl 200,000 100 1000
Multi-Target 2 100,000 200 1000
Multi-Target 3 200,000 200 1000
Multi-Target 4 300,000 400 2000
Launch 200,000 100 500
Predict 1 200,000 100 1000
Predict 2 400,000 200 2000
Predict 3 600,000 200 4000
Predict 4 800,000 300 6000
Predict 5 1,000,000 300 9000