Evgeniy Nikolaevich Filinov
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Translation/edition A.Nitusov
Evgeniy N. Filinov was a genuine scientist – his name is bound up in history of the soviet computing. Computer science was his main interest and 'predestination'.
Filinov was born at the 15th of March 1932 in Moscow. In 1950 he finished secondary school № 281 of Moscow, with an award – «Gold Medal», and entered the faculty of radio at the Moscow Power-Engineering Institute (MPEI) - one of the biggest and most important technical universities in the USSR. In 1955, after successful graduation, he was given a position of engineer researcher (in Moscow) at the Power Institute -institute of energy researches- of the USSR Academy of Sciences (AS USSR), at the laboratory of electrical systems.
In 1956 this laboratory became an independent scientific organization – Laboratory of Control Machines and Systems, still at the AS USSR. Professor Isaak S. Bruk – corresponding member of the Academy, was its scientific and administrative head. In 1958 the laboratory was transformed into Institute of Electronic Control Machines, which is now named after Isaak S. Bruk – its founding director.
E. Filinov worked at the institute until 1985, having grown professionally from the research engineer to the institute's first deputy director. He took part in development of operating memory devices for electronic computer M-4 (1957-59), of real time control systems for space monitoring experimental radar stations and was designer of universal electronic computer M-5 (1958-1961).
That was I. Bruk – the institute director, who noticed and highly appreciated scientific and managing abilities of the young engineer and promoted him to his deputy.
Working experience received by Filinov at the institute enabled him, and his colleague V.V. Resanov of the Institute of Control Computers, to formulate basic principles for producing the enterprise technologic control computer systems. Those systems were composed of aggregate modules.
The results of the work composed development basis of so-called Aggregate Computer System. It was produced and deployed at enterprises of the USSR Ministry of Instrumentation.
Filinov was appointed as the deputy chief designer of the System; he headed development mathematical algorithms and related software. In 1965-1973 he headed design of computing complexes M-4000, M-4030, M-400, M-40. Those control complexes were proposed as the technical basis for integrated control systems at industrial enterprises.
Filinov also took part in creation of the State System of Industrial Instrumentation. He proved the necessity of integrating the Aggregate Computer System into it and discovered optimal points and ways for connecting the system with other complexes of industrial instruments and means of automation. He demonstrated in practice advantages of such structures.
In 1970-1975 Filinov headed series of scientific programs aimed on automation of the computer digital circuits control. He proved necessity of the complex approach to solving the problem of automated control of digital modules. This approach included development of principal design methods for the controllable digital modules and also for programming systems of automatic control and diagnostics of the digital modules during both manufacturing and operation.
The automated system of digital modules control was finally produced and implemented at the organizations and enterprises of the Ministry of Instrumentation. That was the result of the researches performed by Filinov and his colleagues.
At the same time Filinov performed functions of deputy on mini-computers SM of the Chief Designer, within framework of the East European intergovernmental commission on joint computer research and development. He was also the chairman of the subpanel of the specialists on the SM computers development perspectives, which was a subdivision of the international council of the computer chief designers.
In 1975 – 1985 he was both the chief and scientific participant of international development of the -East European- SM-computers family (Russ. «CM ЭВМ»).
Under his guidance complexes of control computers СМ 3, СМ 4, СМ 1300, СМ 1420, СМ 1600, СМ 1800, were produced (by computer plants of Moscow, Kiev, Vilnius and some others) and implemented in industry of the USSR and other East European countries.
SM computers became the basic equipment for automatization of technological processes, and also of research and project works. The main operation systems for SM computers were developed and both the general theory and basic forming principles of the systems with distributed functions were created on the basis of mini- and microcomputers.
His scientific contribution in the SM-computers development was officially highly evaluated and in 1981 Filinov with his colleagues were given the USSR State Premium «For Science and Engineering» – one of the highest civil state awards.
Another his contribution – participation in research, development and deployment in industry, of the SM-computers based measuring-computing complex instruments and systems for automation of the scientific work.
He also actively participated in development of SM-computers based automated work places for automated design systems in engineering.
From 1985 till 1994 Filinov was scientific deputy director at the (Moscow) Institute of Information Problems AS USSR. The institute was initially headed by academician B.N. Naumov and later by academician I.A. Misin.
In 1988 Filinov was appointed as the software development deputy of the director of the International Scientific and Technical Council on the subject «personal computers».
Since 1994 Filinov worked at the (Moscow) Institute of System Programming – Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation (AS RF), first as the scientific deputy director and later -in his last years of life- as chief of department.
There he was mainly engaged in technological problems of the open systems in the field of standardization, and in problems of informatics (same as the 'computer sciences' in the West) and information technologies.
During his scientific work Filinov authored significant number of inventions and publications.
Besides, he made many efforts for popularization of the Soviet computer science and its history. Thus, he was always active vice-chairman of the Russian Virtual Computer Museum scientific council from the day of its establishing. Ha published number of scientific historical articles on the computer development in the USSR and biographies [1] of the Russian/Soviet scientists.
His scientific contribution was several times prized with the high-rank state awards. In 1981 he was given the USSR State Premium for science and engineering (see above), in 1987 the Premium of the USSR Council of Ministers, and also the order «Red Banner of Labour» and several medals.
Evgeniy Filinov died on the 15th of May 2006 and is buried at the cemetery of the Donskoy monastery (important historical monument) in Moscow.
Notes
1. Some of them, in English translation, are included in the book «Computing in Russia» by G.Trogemann, A.Nitussov et.al., VIEWEG Verl. Wiesbaden (Germany) 2001
Published in museum, 07.10.2013
