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Comment by 0xcde4c3db | Hacker News Reader

I remember reading that some version of the MicroVAX CPU had etched into it, in broken Russian, something approximating "VAX: When you care enough to steal the very best". I'm not sure how many Soviet engineers would have been familiar with the Hallmark commercials to get the joke, though.

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DEC celebrated this in their "VMS at 20" anniversary book in 1997: https://vtda.org/docs/computing/DEC/VMS/VMSat20Book.pdf

Yes, on CVAX: https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/pages/russians.html

I think they would have gotten the point without it, given that they were into stealing its design - of course the subtle point might have been not familiar for them.

The broken Russian reads more like an advertisement to buy the real thing. Until you have supplied that quote I had no idea, even though I saw this picture.

Hm, indeed, can be interpreted this way, if you imagine commas at right places.

If you care, enough to steal, the real best.

(The word "настоящий" used as the translation of "very" means "real". For the rest we can leave the original english words and with commas even have some similar broken language effect)

The Russian is too broken to be comprehensible, so the burn doesn't work as well as it could. The equivalent broken English would be something like: "SVAX: when you whaaant enough steal genuine best". Yes, it's just as difficult to parse the Russian.

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