Gary Sielaff wrote:
> What determines the difference between a mini and a mainframe?
> just curious in Moses Lake
There doesn't seem to have been a serious attempt to answer this
question yet, so I'll have a go (and probably reveal my generation):
A 'mini' is a machine with only one processor, single-threaded
time-sharing operating system.
A 'mainframe' has multiple processors and an operating system
that supports multiple concurrent processes.
That's the way it used to be. But the distinction is blurred these
days.
Ron Burnett
[log in to unmask]