26 Oct
2011
26 Oct
'11
1:48 p.m.
Dave McGuire said:
Kinda like the "what constitutes a
minicomputer" debate.
Nobody disagrees that, say, PDP-11s are minis,
Sadly, I've heard many people call PDP-11s mainframes, and go as far as saying DEC was
a mainframe company.
but nobody can coherently tell
you why.
I was thinking about this recently and I can't come up with a definition either. Maybe
anything smaller than the smallest mainframe and bigger than the biggest PC?
People who know about this stuff just
"know".
Agreed.
I aplogize for the crudity of this post's formatting (but not the content). Best I can
do at the moment, posting as I am from an embedded (mobile) computer that is neither PC,
mini, nor mainframe.
26 Oct
26 Oct
3:47 p.m.
On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 13:48, Vintage Coder <vintagecoder at aol.com> wrote:
I was thinking about this recently and I can't
come up with a definition either. Maybe anything smaller than the smallest mainframe and
bigger than the biggest PC?
I recall there was a semi-serious list at some point (possibly here,
maybe on a.f.c.):
If you can lose a screwdriver in it, it might be a micro.
If you can lose a voltmeter in it, it might be a mini.
If you can lose a 'scope on a cart in it, it might be a mainframe.
There was more to it. Fuzzy memory.
--
Joachim Thiemann :: http://www.tsp.ece.mcgill.ca/~jthiem1
People who know about this stuff just
"know".
Agreed. 
4:57 p.m.
On 10/26/11 19:47, Joachim Thiemann wrote:
On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 13:48, Vintage
Coder<vintagecoder at aol.com> wrote:
Back around 1980, the criteria DoD used:
under USD 100K - micro
under USD 1M - mini
over USD 1M - mainframe
this was based on purchase price, since many systems were leased.
Just about every industry had its own criteria - usually an arbitrary
definition by either the bean counters or <mis>management.
I was thinking about this recently and I
can't come up with a definition either. Maybe anything smaller than the smallest
mainframe and bigger than the biggest PC?
I recall there was a semi-serious list at some point (possibly here,
maybe on a.f.c.):
If you can lose a screwdriver in it, it might be a micro.
If you can lose a voltmeter in it, it might be a mini.
If you can lose a 'scope on a cart in it, it might be a mainframe.
There was more to it. Fuzzy memory.
People who know about this stuff just
"know".
Agreed. 
7:03 p.m.
On Wed, 26 Oct 2011, larry wrote:
Back around 1980, the criteria DoD used:
under USD 100K - micro
under USD 1M - mini
over USD 1M - mainframe
this was based on purchase price, since many systems were leased.
Just about every industry had its own criteria - usually an arbitrary
definition by either the bean counters or <mis>management.
carry - micro
handtruck - mini
forklift & union moving crew - mainframe
lose a screw in it - micro
lose a screwdrive in it -mini
lose a CE in it - mainframe
downtime pisses off somebody - micro
downtime pisses of a bunch of people - mini
downtime pisses off everybody - mainframe
mains outlet - micro
mains circuit - mini
mains account - mainframe
neighbors are amused by your collection of micros
neighbors are worried about your collection of minis
neighbors are terrifiec of your collection of mainframes
wife complains - micros
wife leaves - minis
wife has not been seen since . . . - mainframes
Since the terms were created without ANY objective criteria, they are ALL
arbitrary.
7:47 p.m.
On 10/26/11 6:03 PM, Fred Cisin wrote:
neighbors are amused by your collection of micros
neighbors are worried about your collection of minis
neighbors are terrifiec of your collection of mainframes
And somewhere between mini and mainframe is where, based on your
electric bill, the DEA shows up to inspect your hydroponic garden.
This did actually happen to an acquaintance.
Doc
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cisin＠xenosoft.com -
doc＠vaxen.net -
gdmoisboq＠cox.net -
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