Superminicomputer

A superminicomputer, colloquially supermini, is a high-end minicomputer.^[1] The term is used to distinguish the emerging 32-bit architecture midrange computers introduced in the mid to late 1970s from the classical 16-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 term midicomputer had been used earlier to refer to these systems.^[4][5] Virtual memory was often an additional criteria that was considered for inclusion in this class of system.^[6] The computational speed of these machines was significantly greater than the 16-bit minicomputers and approached the performance of small mainframe computers.^[7] 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."^[8] 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.^[9] Companies that sold mainframe computers began to offer machines in the same price and performance range as superminicomputers.^[10] By the mid-1980s microprocessors with the hardware architecture of superminicomputers were used to produce scientific and engineering workstations.^[11] The minicomputer industry then declined through the early 1990s.^[12] The term is now considered obsolete^[13] but still remains of interest for students/researchers of computer history.