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One generation's "supercomputer" is the next generation's "mainframe", and a "PDA" does not have the same set of functions as a "laptop", but the list still has value, as it provides a ranked categorization of devices. It also ranks some more obscure computer sizes.
A minicomputer, or colloquially mini, is a type of smaller general-purpose computer developed in the mid-1960s [1] [2] and sold at a much lower price than mainframe [3] and mid-size computers from IBM and its direct competitors.
An IBM System z9 mainframe. A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, [1] is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and large-scale transaction processing.
Since the rise of the personal computer in the 1980s, IBM and other vendors have created PC-based IBM mainframe-compatible systems which are compatible with the larger IBM mainframe computers. For a period of time PC-based mainframe-compatible systems had a lower price and did not require as much electricity or floor space.
The best-known [citation needed] early system was the Altair 8800, introduced in 1975. The term "microcomputer" has practically become an anachronism as it has fallen into disuse. [1] These computers include: Desktop computers – A case put under or on a desk. The display may be optional, depending on use.
[10] Raytheon Company — United States: 1949: 1984: Spun off as Raytheon Data Systems in 1971, itself acquired by Telex Corporation in 1984 [11] [12] RCA — United States: 1956: 1971: Exited the computer business in 1971; division sold to Sperry Rand in 1972: Reeves Instrument Corporation — United States: 1944: 1995: Unknown: Remington ...
Midrange computers, or midrange systems, were a class of computer systems that fell in between mainframe computers and microcomputers. [1] [failed verification]This class of machine emerged in the 1960s, with models from Digital Equipment Corporation (PDP lines), Data General (), and Hewlett-Packard (HP 2100 and HP 3000) widely used in science and research as well as for business - and ...
Companies that sold mainframe computers began to offer machines in the same price and performance range as superminicomputers. [10] By the mid-1980s microprocessors with the hardware architecture of superminicomputers were used to produce scientific and engineering workstations. [11] The minicomputer industry then declined through the early ...