Minicomputers-a Profile of tomorrow's component

There has been an explosive rate of growth of the types and the applications of minicomputers. This growth is a result of employing small computers in a new set of applications that were previously unexploited by the manufacturers of larger computers. To place the emergence of minicomputers in significant perspective, the following analysis is attempted" 1) typical minicomputer characteristics are outlined, 2) technological reasons for the emergence of minicomputers are suggested, 3) the architecture of contemporary minicomputers is given in terms of hardware structure, instruction format, and input/output configuration, 4) a software system that implements a shared environment on a typical minicomputer system is described, and 5) the advantages of using minicomputers are discussed and representative applications are sketched in the area of testing, control, communication, and laboratory experimentation.