A superminicomputer (Interdata 7/32) preserved in a museum
Asuperminicomputer, colloquiallysupermini, is a high-endminicomputer.[1] The term is used to distinguish the emerging32-bit architecturemidrange computers introduced in the mid to late 1970s from the classical16-bit systems that preceded them.[2][3] The development of these computers was driven by the need of applications to address larger memory.[1] The termmidicomputer had been used earlier to refer to these systems.[4][5][6]Virtual memory was often an additional criteria that was considered for inclusion in this class of system.[7] The computational speed of these machines was significantly greater than the 16-bit minicomputers and approached the performance of smallmainframe computers.[8] The name has at times been described as a "frivolous" term created by "marketeers" that lacks a specific definition. Describing a class of system has historically been seen as problematic: "In the computer kingdom, taxonomic classification of equipment is more of a black art than a science."[9] There is some disagreement about which systems should be included in this class. The origin of the name is uncertain.[1]
As technology improved rapidly the distinction between minicomputer and superminicomputer performance blurred.[10] Companies that sold mainframe computers began to offer machines in the same price and performance range as superminicomputers.[11] By the mid-1980s microprocessors with thehardware architecture of superminicomputers were used to produce scientific and engineeringworkstations.[12] The minicomputer industry then declined through the early 1990s.[13] The term is now considered obsolete[14] but still remains of interest for students/researchers ofcomputer history.
^abcConnolly, James (September 30, 1985)."Superminis: Dynamic machines evolving to new uses".Computerworld. p. SR/4, SR10. Retrieved5 December 2019.No one can say with certainty who coined the word 'superminicomputer' and to what systems he meant it to apply, but consensus is emerging that a supermini is nothing more than a minicomputer — a high-end mini, but a mini nonetheless.
^Burr, William E.; Gordon, Robert (October 1977). "Selecting a Military Computer Architecture".Computer. Vol. 10, no. 10. IEEE. pp. 16–23.doi:10.1109/C-M.1977.217522.
^abWallich, Paul (1985). "Minis and mainframes: Superminicomputers push mainframe performance, mainframes operate at supercomputer speeds, and supercomputers reach 400 million operations per second".IEEE Spectrum.22 (1):42–44.Bibcode:1985IEEES..22a..42W.doi:10.1109/MSPEC.1985.6370525.S2CID27187801.The manufacturers of the new processors all measure their machines against the venerable Digital Equipment Corp. VAX 11/780, which performs somewhat more than a million operations per second.
^Stiefel, Malcolm L. (July 1978). "Superminis: What's In The Name?".Mini-Micro Systems. Vol. 11, no. 7. pp. 29–42.At first blush, the word 'supermini' seems to be a contradiction in terms, like 'bittersweet.' There is a temptation to dismiss it immediately as a frivolous pun - the fruit a fertile Mad Ave. mind. In a sense, this gut reaction has merit; the term was obviously coined by marketeers to describe succinctly a class of machines without being too specific.
^Vardalas, John N. (2001-07-27).The Computer Revolution in Canada: Building National Technological Competence. MIT Press.ISBN9780262264983.As circuit densities and performance increased and prices dropped, the demarcation between minicomputers and superminicomputers and that between low and middle ranges of mainframes began to blur.
^Kidder, Tracy (1981). "The Microkids and the Hardy Boys: An inside look at how a maverick team from Data General 'rescued' the company by designing a competitive 32-bit superminicomputer in record time".IEEE Spectrum.18 (9):48–55.doi:10.1109/MSPEC.1981.6369813.S2CID5650132.
^Rosenberg, Ronald (16 Sep 1983). "2 mid-sized computers are introduced by IBM".Boston Globe.'They even called the new 4361 a multi-application superminicomputer, a term they never used before.'
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The dictionary definition ofsuperminicomputer at Wiktionary