A superminicomputer, or supermini, is “a minicomputer with high performance compared to ordinary minicomputers.” The term was an invention used from the mid-1970s[1] mainly to distinguish the emerging 32-bit minis from the classical 16-bit minicomputers.[2] The term is now largely obsolete but still remains of interest for students/researchers of computer history.
Significant superminis
- Norsk Data NORD-5, first supermini, 1972
- Norsk Data Nord-50, 1975
- Interdata 7/32 and 8/32 later taken over by PerkinElmer
- Systems Engineering Laboratories 32/55, 1976
- DEC VAX-11/780, shipped February 1978
- Data General Eclipse MV/8000, 1980
- MAI Basic Four MAI 8000, 1983 [1] and MPx [2]
- Gould Electronics Powernode 9080
- Gould Electronics NP-1
- Norsk Data ND-500, 1981
- Norsk Data ND-570/CX, fastest supermini, 1983, at 7.1 Whetstone MIPS
- Prime Computer 750
References
- ^ Koudela, J., Jr. (Nov. 1973), "The past, present, and future of minicomputers: A scenario", Proceedings of the IEEE 61 (11): 1526–1534, doi:10.1109/PROC.1973.9322
- ^ Flowers, Jeff (Feb. 1982), "The Use of the 32-Bit Minicomputer for Data Acquisition", IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 29 (1): 927–931, doi:10.1109/TNS.1982.4335992
