15 Oct
2015
15 Oct
'15
10:38 a.m.
"Motherboard" was around then, although
Burroughs might not have used it.
Burroughs might very well have been more inclined to call it "backplane".
I generally use the term 'motherboard' for the sort of thing you find in an
IBM5150 or Apple ][ -- that is a board with a lot of electronics on it and the
edge connectors for daughterboards (I/O cards, etc) whereas I use the term
'backplane' for what I have in a PDP11 or PERQ, etc, just connectors wired
together
(maybe with some simple logic) and almost everything on plug-in boards.
Incidentally, the HP150 has the procrssor and video boards, along with 2 optional
I/O boards going in from the rear of the case and plugging into a PCB of connectors
(and IIRC a simple printer interface). Due to its position HP call it the
'frontplane'. I have
never seen that term used anywhere else (I assume it's also applicable to the HP120
but I have never seen any technical info for that machine).
-tony