What is the meaning of a minicomputer?
Decades ago, computers used to take up rooms the size of a two-car garage. Nowadays, that same amount of processing power can fit in the palm of your hand. However, several size tiers still exist, and “minicomputer” sits in the middle.Minicomputer BasicsAlthough “mini” may make you think of Apple’s Mac Mini, an extra-small desktop computer, this term technically applies to systems that are smaller than a mainframe computer, but larger than a desktop computer (which is technically in the microcomputer tier).Historical OriginsThis term goes all the way back to the 1960s and refers to computers that developed in the wake of the invention of the transistor and magnetic memory (like the kind you have on the sticks of RAM in your computer).Enter the MicrocomputerIn the 1980s came the microcomputer, such as the Apple Macintosh and the IBM PC. At the time, only the mini variety was capable of handling multiple user accounts, long-distance networking, large amounts of storage space, and advance
