minicomputer

In the late 1960s, the term minicomputer was used to describe desktop-sized computers. They were less expensive than mainframes and were often used in the commercial and industrial sectors for single tasks.

Minicomputers have high performance and are used for complicated tasks, e.g. in technical and scientific applications such as in CAD systems or in production facilities, as well as central computers for medium data technology( MDT) in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Towers or small cabinets house the central processing unit and usually also the indispensable peripheral devices such as printers, tape drives, disk drives and display units. There is usually a group of users who access the computer via terminals. In this age of powerful LAN servers, however, the lines are becoming increasingly blurred. Today, the computers formerly known as minis are only of interest for closed solutions.

The term minicomputer is now used synonymously for very small computers: Computers in pocket or handheld format.