minicomputer

/MIN-ee-kum-pyoo-ter/ · noun · Hacker Culture · Origin: 1960

Definitions

  1. A class of mid-range computers that emerged in the 1960s, smaller and cheaper than mainframes but more powerful than microcomputers. The DEC PDP-11 and VAX lines were iconic minicomputers that democratized computing for universities and smaller businesses, and Unix was born on a PDP-7.

    In plain English: A medium-sized computer from the 1960s-80s that was cheaper than a mainframe — Unix and C were invented on one of these.

    Example: The computer science department's PDP-11 minicomputer was where half of the faculty first learned to program in C.

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