Remember that the computer on your desk was originally called a 'micro computer' ... then the term 'mini computer' makes a lot more sense for large format systems sitting between the desktop and the mainframe.

megatron-uk wrote on 2023-10-09, 21:01:

Remember that the computer on your desk was originally called a 'micro computer' ... then the term 'mini computer' makes a lot more sense for large format systems sitting between the desktop and the mainframe.

Oh I see! I didn't know that! Now it makes sense.
Then, I wonder how a "mainframe" would look like... I'll look it up!

Todays computers are microcomputers, they're using microprocessors.
Likewisey, Microsoft likely was a play on Microcomputer Software.

A minicomputer is generally bigger, with the size of a desktop or wardrobe.

A mainframe originally was the size of a wall, a room or a floor (think of HAL9000 from 2001 film).
Edit: Or MU.TH.UR 6000/"mother" from Alien (1979).

Nowadays, a mainframe can be a high-performance computer, too, though.
Like a high-end server in a server room.

Because, terms change their meaning over time.
A CPU used to be a device, housed in a large metal box. That was in the 1960s or so. Nowadays it's a synonym for a microchip.

Some people with an outdated 90s era vocabulary still call a PC tower chassis "the CPU".

The i386 was once called a "mainframe on a chip", due to its advanced abilities.
Protected-Mode, Virtual Address Space, Paging etc.
That was in the 80s, when PC/MOS was new.

Jo22 wrote on 2023-10-09, 21:50:

Todays computers are microcomputers, they're using microprocessors. Likewisey, Microsoft likely was a play on Microcomputer Sof […]
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Todays computers are microcomputers, they're using microprocessors.
Likewisey, Microsoft likely was a play on Microcomputer Software.

A minicomputer is generally bigger, with the size of a desktop or wardrobe.

A mainframe originally was the size of a wall, a room or a floor (think of HAL9000 from 2001 film).
Edit: Or MU.TH.UR 6000/"mother" from Alien (1979).

Nowadays, a mainframe can be a high-performance computer, too, though.
Like a high-end server in a server room.

Because, terms change their meaning over time.
A CPU used to be a device, housed in a large metal box. That was in the 1960s or so. Nowadays it's a synonym for a microchip.

Some people with an outdated 90s era vocabulary still call a PC tower chassis "the CPU".

The i386 was once called a "mainframe on a chip", due to its advanced abilities.
Protected-Mode, Virtual Address Space, Paging etc.
That was in the 80s, when PC/MOS was new.

Got it, thanks.

Yes indeed! I noticed some people (usually 50 yo or older) calling computer cases "the CPU"!

I played around with it a few years ago when it got open-sourced (https://github.com/roelandjansen/pcmos386v501), I don't remember much about it now apart from it using Borland C++ 3.1 (I think)!

https://virtuallyfun.com/2011/02/02/pc-mos386/ has a bit of information about it, and some of the comments on the article are from one of the original authors.

doshea wrote on 2023-10-10, 22:30:

I played around with it a few years ago when it got open-sourced (https://github.com/roelandjansen/pcmos386v501), I don't remember much about it now apart from it using Borland C++ 3.1 (I think)!

https://virtuallyfun.com/2011/02/02/pc-mos386/ has a bit of information about it, and some of the comments on the article are from one of the original authors.

Interesting... Thank you!