Fwd: Re: Room for Collections

From: Kent Borg <kentborg_at_borg.org>
Date: Tue Aug 21 16:06:49 2001

If I read the quoting correctly (sound familiar?), Matthew Sell
<msell_at_ontimesupport.com> asked:
>As a discussion - what technically makes the difference between a
>mainframe and a mini? Are there physical comparisons to be made or
>performance?

It is an ecosystem thing. It's an IBM thing.

A "mainframe" is a computer that, when new, was classed with the
biggest, nastiest, business IBMs available.

It doesn't matter if it weighs a lot or is faster than the mainframes
of an earlier generation, it depends upon its own generation. Also,
the fastest supercomputers of an era are kinda beyond mainframe, and
they lose their "super" qualification as new computers exceed them and
become "former supercomputers". Mainframes tend to stay
mainframes--obsolete maybe, but still mainframes. And frequently are
still in use long after they become obsolete.

Mainframes tend to put a lot of effort into highspeed IO, are
expensive, and can do lots of transactions well. (Because expensive
means you want to keep them busy.)


-kb
Received on Tue Aug 21 2001 - 16:06:49 BST