17 Aug
2010
17 Aug
'10
9:51 p.m.
On 17 Aug 2010 at 17:21, Ethan Dicks wrote:
So perhaps the PDP-1 was a minicomputer before they
had the word for
it, but I am far too young to comment if it was then _called_ a
minicomputer, after the word was coined.
I've heard the PB250 and the CDC 160A both called "minicomputers"--
both are substantially smaller in size than the PDP-1. So it's a
judgement call.
My own personal yardstick is that a "minicomputer" is something that
can be run from a single 120V 20A lighting circuit. The PB250
qualifies; the 160A does not--and neither does the PDP-1.
Others may use their own yardsticks.
--Chuck