computer A computer built between about 1963 and 1987,
smaller and less powerful than a
mainframe, typically about
the size and shape of a wardrobe, mounted in a single tall
rack.
Minicomputers were characterised by short
word lengths of 8
to 32
bits, limited hardware and software facilities and
small physical size. Their low cost made them suitable for a
wide variety of applications such as industrial control, where
a small, dedicated computer which is permanently assigned to
one application, is needed. In recent years, improvements in
device technology have resulted in minicomputers which are
The processor was typically built using low integration logic
ICs.
was the most successful, closely followed (in both time and
Another early minicomputer was the
LINC developed at
MIT in
1963.
Other minicomputers were the
AS/400, the
PRIME series, the
[Others?]