What is a minicomputer used for?

What is a minicomputer used for?

minicomputer, computer that was smaller, less expensive, and less powerful than a mainframe or supercomputer but more expensive and more powerful than a personal computer. Minicomputers were used for scientific and engineering computations, business transaction processing, file handling, and database management.

What is minicomputer with example?

Definition: A minicomputer is also known as mini. It is a class of small computers that was introduced into the world in the mid-1960s. A minicomputer is a computer which has all the features of a large size computer, but its size is smaller than those. ... Mini computer examples: IBM's AS/400e, Honeywell200, TI-990.

Are minicomputers still used?

The term "minicomputer" is seldom used today; the contemporary term for this class of system is "midrange computer", such as the higher-end SPARC from Oracle, Power ISA from IBM, and Itanium-based systems from Hewlett-Packard.

What are the main features of a minicomputer?

The minicomputer has the following characteristics:

• It is smaller in size than a mainframe computer.
• It is less expensive than a super and mainframe computer.
• It is not much more powerful than the mainframe and supercomputer, but powerful than microcomputers.
• It supports multiprocessing and multi-tasking.

What is the size of a minicomputer?

Minicomputers generally have a word size of 8–18 bits (register size); a memory size of 32,000–64,000 16-bit words, or 16,000–32,000 32-bit words; a processing speed of 200–300 kilo-instructions per second (KIPS); and a price in the range of $3,000 to $50,000.

What is the meaning of microcomputers?

microcomputer, an electronic device with a microprocessor as its central processing unit (CPU). Microcomputer was formerly a commonly used term for personal computers, particularly any of a class of small digital computers whose CPU is contained on a single integrated semiconductor chip.

Who invented minicomputer?

Kenneth Olsen, who died at 84 on Sunday, was a natural disruptor in the early days of computing. At Digital Equipment Corp., Olsen's minicomputers undercut the costs of IBM's mainframe computers and carved out a role for smaller, less capable machines.

Where are minicomputer found?

They were primarily designed for business applications and services that require the performance and efficiency of mainframe computers. Minicomputers are generally used as mid-range servers, where they can operate mid-sized software applications and support numerous users simultaneously.

Which was the world's first minicomputer and when was it introduced?

PDP-1 PDP-1 was the world's first minicomputer and it was introduced in 1958.

What is the purpose of minicomputer?

• Controlling the Process Minicomputers are mainly used by businesses to manage the production process. Data acquisition and feedback are the two main functions of Process Control. ...
• Communication Minicomputers serve as a link between a human operator and a more powerful processor. ...
• Management of Data

What is the different between minicomputer and microcomputer?

• What Is the Difference Between a Microcomputer & a Minicomputer? Two Computer Histories. Minicomputers were developed in the 1960s as midrange computers, which boasted relatively high processing speed, but at a significantly smaller size and price compared to larger mainframe ... Different Characteristics. Minicomputers can be quite bulky. ... Primary Uses. ... Early Models. ...

What is the first commercially successful minicomputer?

• The Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) PDP-8, released in 1965, was the first commercially successful minicomputer to hit the market. That's saying a lot considering it cost $18,500 at the time (which works out to roughly $140,000 today).

What is an example of a minicomputer?

• Work stations and file servers also contributed to the fall in usage of the minicomputer. In addition, operating systems such as Windows and Linux were designed to be compatible with specific CPU architecture that was not present in minicomputers at the time. The IBM System/38 is an example of a surviving minicomputer architecture.