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A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, [1] is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and large-scale transaction processing.
IBM 704 mainframe at NACA in 1957. From 1952 into the late 1960s, IBM manufactured and marketed several large computer models, known as the IBM 700/7000 series.The first-generation 700s were based on vacuum tubes, while the later, second-generation 7000s used transistors.
This list of computer size categories attempts to list commonly used categories of computer by the physical size of the device and its chassis or case, in descending order of size. One generation's "supercomputer" is the next generation's "mainframe", and a "PDA" does not have the same set of functions as a "laptop", but the list still has ...
The typical ordering process of modern IBM Z mainframe looks like a buying of service [50] or looks like a leasing; [51] the mainframe is a program/hardware complex with rent for a system workload, and (in the most cases) additional system capabilities can be unlocked after additional payment.
These computers are capable of handling and processing very large amounts of data quickly. Mainframe computers are used in large institutions such as government, banks, and large corporations. They are measured in MIPS (million instructions per second) and can respond to hundreds of millions of users at a time [citation needed].
The IBM System/360 (S/360) is a family of mainframe computer systems announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, [1] and delivered between 1965 and 1978. [2] System/360 was the first family of computers designed to cover both commercial and scientific applications and a complete range of applications from small to large.
DEC's invention of the minicomputer seriously disrupted International Business Machines' dominant position in the mainframe computer business. Because minicomputers were relatively inexpensive ...
The IBM 704 is the model name of a large digital mainframe computer introduced by IBM in 1954. Designed by John Backus and Gene Amdahl, it was the first mass-produced computer with hardware for floating-point arithmetic. [1] [2] The IBM 704 Manual of operation states: [3]