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mainframemore about mainframe

mainframe

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  mainframe 
  n  1:  a  large  digital  computer  serving  100-400  users  and  occupying 
  a  special  air-conditioned  room  [syn:  {mainframe  computer}] 
  2:  (  computer  science)  the  part  of  a  computer  (a  microprocessor 
  chip)  that  does  most  of  the  data  processing;  the  CPU  and 
  the  memory  form  the  central  part  of  a  computer  to  which 
  the  peripherals  are  attached  [syn:  {central  processing 
  unit},  {CPU},  {C.P.U.},  {central  processor},  {processor}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  mainframe  n.  Term  originally  referring  to  the  cabinet 
  containing  the  central  processor  unit  or  `main  frame'  of  a  room-filling 
  {Stone  Age}  batch  machine.  After  the  emergence  of  smaller  `minicomputer' 
  designs  in  the  early  1970s,  the  traditional  {big  iron}  machines  were 
  described  as  `mainframe  computers'  and  eventually  just  as  mainframes. 
  The  term  carries  the  connotation  of  a  machine  designed  for  batch  rather 
  than  interactive  use  though  possibly  with  an  interactive  timesharing 
  operating  system  retrofitted  onto  it  it  is  especially  used  of  machines 
  built  by  IBM,  Unisys  and  the  other  great  {dinosaur}s  surviving  from 
  computing's  {Stone  Age}. 
 
  It  has  been  common  wisdom  among  hackers  since  the  late  1980s  that 
  the  mainframe  architectural  tradition  is  essentially  dead  (outside  of 
  the  tiny  market  for  {number-crunching}  supercomputers  (see  {cray})), 
  having  been  swamped  by  the  recent  huge  advances  in  IC  technology  and 
  low-cost  personal  computing.  The  wave  of  failures,  takeovers,  and  mergers 
  among  traditional  mainframe  makers  in  the  early  1990s  bore  this  out 
  The  biggest  mainframer  of  all  IBM,  was  compelled  to  re-invent  itself 
  as  a  huge  systems-consulting  house.  (See  {dinosaurs  mating}  and  {killer 
  micro}). 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  mainframe 
 
    A  term  originally  referring  to  the  cabinet 
  containing  the  central  processor  unit  or  "main  frame"  of  a 
  room-filling  {Stone  Age}  batch  machine.  After  the  emergence 
  of  smaller  "{minicomputer}"  designs  in  the  early  1970s,  the 
  traditional  {big  iron}  machines  were  described  as  "mainframe 
  computers"  and  eventually  just  as  mainframes.  The  term 
  carries  the  connotation  of  a  machine  designed  for  batch  rather 
  than  interactive  use  though  possibly  with  an  interactive 
  {time-sharing}  operating  system  retrofitted  onto  it  it  is 
  especially  used  of  machines  built  by  {IBM},  {Unisys}  and  the 
  other  great  {dinosaurs}  surviving  from  computing's  {Stone 
  Age}. 
 
  It  has  been  common  wisdom  among  hackers  since  the  late  1980s 
  that  the  mainframe  architectural  tradition  is  essentially  dead 
  (outside  of  the  tiny  market  for  {number  crunching} 
  {supercomputer}s  (see  {Cray})),  having  been  swamped  by  the 
  recent  huge  advances  in  {integrated  circuit}  technology  and 
  low-cost  personal  computing.  As  of  1993,  corporate  America  is 
  just  beginning  to  figure  this  out  -  the  wave  of  failures, 
  takeovers,  and  mergers  among  traditional  mainframe  makers  have 
  certainly  provided  sufficient  omens  (see  {dinosaurs  mating}). 
 
  Supporters  claim  that  mainframes  still  house  90%  of  the  data 
  major  businesses  rely  on  for  mission-critical  applications, 
  attributing  this  to  their  superior  performance,  reliability, 
  scalability,  and  security  compared  to  microprocessors. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
  (1996-07-22)




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