Only built in very small numbers. Not intended to be sold or to be used by end-users. Studied as an end in itself.
Pilot ACE, Manchester SSEM, Manchester MU5
Single PCB with a microprocessor chip fitted, suitable for crude software development. Very small amounts of ROM and RAM. Bare board plugged into bench PSU. Often fitted with 7-segment LED displays and hex keypad.
MOS Technologies KIM-1, Motorola D2, Synertek SYM-1, Rockwell AIM-65
Small microcomputer intended for teaching of programming.
?
More sophisticated microprocessor system. Cased with PSU, disks, and development software. Used with ASCII terminal.
Intel Blue Box (MCS), Motorola Exorciser.
Computer designed to be incorporated into another product. Usually not reprogrammable.
Apollo Guidance Computer, F-14 Air Data Computer.
Microprocessor-based machine designed for home use. Built-in video display for use with domestic TV. Data and program storage on audio cassettes, possibly with a ROM cartridge port. Very often running BASIC from ROM. Cased with power supply (possibly external wall-wart).
Sinclair ZX80, Dragon 32, MSX compatibles.
Microprocessor-based machine designed for business use. Data and program storage on disks. CP/M, MP/M, P-System. Not IBM PC-compatible.
Apple ][, Sirius, DEC Rainbow, Sage II, HP-150
Fully compatible clone of the IBM PC. Able to run Microsoft Flight Simulator and Lotus 1-2-3. 8088 or higher CPU. ISA, PCI, EISA, MicroChannel bus slots CGA, EGA, VGA or higher graphics.
IBM PC, Olivetti M24, Compaq Portable Toshiba T3100
16 or 32 bit CPU, Unix, bit-mapped graphics, networking, hard disk. Single user. Unix operating system, window system. No special environment or power supply required.
PERQ, Whitechapel MG-1, Sun, Xerox Alto
16 or 32 bit CPU, but not a microprocessor chip. May run a multi-user operating system. Connected to serial terminals. May require special environment, i.e. air-conditioning or special power.
DEC PDP-8, DEC PDP-11, HP 2100, HLH Orion, Prime, DEC VAX.
Multi-user. Requires special environment (air-conditioning) and possibly water cooling. Requires special power supply.
IBM 360, Burroughs, ICL 1900.
Very fast computer utilising special techniques of design and construction to maximise power. May be highly parallel or massively parallel. Requires special environment (air-conditioning) and probably water cooling. Requires special power supply.
CDC 6600, Cray-1, CDC Cyber, transputer machines.
Return to John Honniball's Computer page
Return to John Honniball's home page
Copyright © 2007 by John Honniball. All rights reserved.