Why Is An American Interested In Russian IT?

If Wikipedia is to be believed, Russia is the world's largest nation in terms of land mass, and the eighth largest in terms of population. It has the tenth largest economy by nominal GDP, and is the sixth largest in term of purchasing power parity. It has given birth to some of the greatest minds in physics, has made great progress in space technology, and is experiencing somewhat of a government driven resurgence in investment in technology as a whole.

So why is there so little mention of the Russian IT industry in American mainstream media? Or, for that matter, why can't you just simply Google "Russian IT" and receive a wealth of information in English and be done with it?

Surely, with the IT industry as a whole advancing by leaps and bounds across the globe, and more and more of everyday human life becoming dependent on computers and related technology, there must be some interest here in the United States about what one of the world's most industrious nations are doing in the field! With "open source" applications being tinkered with across the globe, and whole operating systems being developed in a more "organic" and fluid development setting, involving professionals and amateurs sitting at home in their studies across the globe..... surely there must be some general interest in Russian IT and technology that warrants a fairly informed source of information in English!

But, to my surprise, I was unable to find one.

To be sure, there are the occasional news articles, and a sound bite here or there.... but no real dedicated source of information in English about the Russian IT industry originating from inside the U.S. that is not an English language page of a Russian organization, business, or news outlet (at least that I was able to find).

So I decided to start one.

Now, to shed a little light on why I would even be interested in the matter, I suppose I should tell you a little about myself. I spent more than five years as a Russian linguist in the U.S. Army during the 90's, and ever since I have been fascinated by Russian culture, politics and foreign policy...... in short, I fell in love with Russia, and find myself performing my own brand of amateur analysis on matters Russian, bombarding anyone who will listen with my thoughts on various topics relating to Russia.... oil and gas industry moves, domestic politics, anything and everything I come across.....

And, at this point in my life, I'm making a professional career move into the IT field.

So there you have it. I suppose it was inevitable that I would want to have something to say about Russian IT as well, seeing as I seem to have so much to say about all other matters Russian.....

Now, I do want to put forward a few things right from the start, so as not to confuse or mislead:

1. I do not have a degree in Russian studies, political science, business, etc. All of the knowledge I have I have obtained on my own, and I can only assume that I may occasionally make factual errors relating to Russia during the research and writing of this blog.
2. I am not yet an IT professional (although I am about to begin taking a BS in Information Systems Security shortly, and am working through various Linux and networking certifications). I am new to the field, a n00b if you will, and I can only assume that I may occasionally make factual errors relating to IT systems, technology, and industry during the research and writing of this blog.

That having been said, I'm looking forward to this blog becoming a kind of journey through the world of Russian IT, and if you will take the trip with me I will try my best to inform (and, perhaps, on occasion entertain) you while we travel together! To that end, I am always open to suggestions, helpful tips and pointers from industry insiders, professionals, or other amateurs, as well as potential leads for future blog posts. As I get my feet wet and become better informed this blog will probably tend more towards industry analysis and my thoughts on the direction and health of the Russian IT industry. I welcome (constructive) criticism, and look forward to hearing your thoughts along the way!

Also, as I am new to blogging, I am not married to this particular template, format, etc., and am still learning to manipulate the blog itself, so if what you see seems somewhat mundane and boring in the overall look and feel of the blog, please feel free to make suggestions about that as well!

So, now that I've gotten the first post out of the way, I do believe I'll try to make this blog as close to weekly as I can, work schedule and life permitting. And for my next post (unless one of my brilliant readers has another idea that catches my fancy) I'll be taking a look at the Skolkovo innovation center, and what it means for the Russian IT industry in the short and long run...... will it be the Russian "Silicon Valley," or will it end up a failed product of what seemed to be a good idea?

Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!