4 ms·
Nitpick, but as far as I remember, minicomputers are midrange computers. DEC PDP-11 would be in the same class as IBM AS/400, so while they were distinguished f
by surgical_fire 2y ago
Nitpick, but as far as I remember, minicomputers are midrange computers. DEC PDP-11 would be in the same class as IBM AS/400, so while they were distinguished from mainframes, they were "medium sized computers".
Assuming, of course, that those "medium sized computers" are the midrange.
- jasomill 2y agoThis gets even more confusing when you consider that IBM released a number of mainframes smaller than many of their midrange systems, including both System/370 and System/390 systems implemented as PC expansion cards (ISA, MCA, and PCI). Ultimately, within IBM at least, "mainframe" ended up just referring to any computer that implemented the System/360 architecture or its descendants. Outside IBM, I've seen the term applied to just about any multiuser system accessed primarily through a terminal interface, including x86 servers running Linux, though typically by nontechnical users.