18 Aug
2010
18 Aug
'10
6:48 p.m.
>> But it all depends on how you define
"minicomputer" as to what
>> specifically falls in the category.
>
> Who originally created the term? marketing??
Dunno if it's correct, but I was always taught in compsci classes at UMR
that the definition of micro/mini/mainframe was technical and precise and
that any misuse of the categorization was an attempt by marketing people to
make their system look more attractive, or users who didn't understand the
terminology. I suspect the teacher was being a bit too precise. Anyways,
their definition was that a micro was a computer on a single chip, a mini
was a computer on multiple chips or boads, and that a mainframe was
"something larger", with multiple chassis making up the cpu itself.
I always thought that was a fair description, but of course I can already
find (what I feel are) some exceptions to it :)
Jay