Mainframe - Minicomputer = RAS and order magnitude better I/O On Fri, Mar 10, 2023 at 7:42 AM Paul Koning via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> > > > On Mar 10, 2023, at 10:05 AM, Kevin Monceaux via cctalk < > cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > > > On Thu, Mar 09, 2023 at 03:51:44PM -0600, Steve Lewis via cctalk wrote: > > > >> I always considered a mainframe to basically be a "fully decked out" > >> minicomputer. > > > > I've always considered a fully decked out minicomputer to be a fully > decked > > out minicomputer. :-) > > > >> What do you guys think? Or is a mainframe one of those giants so > large, > >> you walk inside its CPU? > > > > Mainframes used to be that large. But these days it's hard to tell by > size. > > Similarly, supercomputers tend to be physically small, because it can't be > really fast if it's big -- speed of light considerations. That's why > supercomputer design has a major packaging and cooling element to it. Both > the CDC 6600 (1964) and the Cray 1 show this very clearly: a great deal of > effort went into making them unusually small for the amount of stuff inside. > > You can't really get inside a 6600. You can get inside a Cray 1, just > barely. > > paul > > > -- Lee Courtney +1-650-704-3934 cell
