The Minicomputer

The minicomputer is a versatile, medium-sized computer designed so that more than one person can use it at the same time. It was introduced as a smaller, less expensive alternative to the mainframe. Early minis were designed for use in a variety of special-purpose tasks (manufacturing, engineering, science, and process control, for example):

*Providing instructions for manufacturing equipment

such as presses or robots.

*Use in guidance systems for aircraft

*Measuring seismographic fluctuations in dangerous

mines.

*Use in control processes such as keeping a constant

temperature for cooking vats of soup, spaghetti

sauce, or chocolate.

Yet over time, the mini became a viable computer for business purposes, serving the needs of a small to medium-size company or a department or division of a larger company.

Minis are often connected to other minis, and are commonly used to provide connections between mainframe computers and personal computers. It is a good idea to remember that many of the sharp distinctions between mainframes and minis and between minis and powerful personal computers have been blurred by technological advances.

The mini was designed by Kenneth W. Olsen, an MIT graduate who went on to found Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), the world’s second-largest computer company. In 1959, Digital introduced the PDP-1 (for Programmed Data Processor). At a time when typical computer systems sold for over $1 million, the PDP-1’s price tag of $120,000 shocked the industry. Of course, it was not able to perform all the tasks of a mainframe but it was a true computer nonetheless. It was followed by several other PDPs, the last of which, the PDP-11, led to the VAX, introduced in 1975, which is now the most widely used family of minicomputers in the world. Today, there are minis of all sorts; some are as large or as powerful as mainframes, while others fit on a desktop.