"Midrange computer" is a designation used by IBM for a class of computer systems which fall in between mainframes and microcomputers. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) (NYSE: IBM) (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... Mainframes (often colloquially referred to as big iron) are large and expensive computers used mainly by government institutions and large companies for legacy applications, typically bulk data processing (such as censuses, industry/consumer statistics, ERP, and bank transaction processing). ... The Commodore 64 was one of the most popular microcomputers of its era, and is the best selling home computer of all time. ...
IBM has made several models of midrange computers over the years: the System/3, System/34, System/36, System/38, and finally AS/400 (recently rechristened the iSeries). They have also made some more minor models. A System 3 punch card. ... The System/34 was a minicomputer marketed by IBM from 1978 to 1983. ... The System/36 was a minicomputer marketed by IBM from 1983 to 2000. ... The IBM System/38 was a computer. ... i5 Model 570 (2006) The Application System/400 (also known as AS/400, iSeries (since 2000) and System i5 (since 2006)) is a type of minicomputer produced by IBM. It was first produced in 1988 and, as of 2006, is still in production. ... Enterprise class server and the successor to the AS/400. ...
Computer keyboard keys that are labeled F1, F2, and so on; usually positioned along the top or left side of the keyboard.
A large computer that has access to billions of characters of data and is capable of processing large amounts of data very quickly.
In the mainframe and midrange environments, a piece of hardware connected to the host computer, such as workstations, printers, routers, controllers, front end processors, external disk, and external backup devices.
IBM had two model categories: one (701, 704, 709, 7090, 7040) for engineering and scientific use, and one (702, 705, 7080, 7070, 7010) for commercial or data processing use.
IBM initially sold its computers without any software, expecting customers to write their own; and programs were manually initiated, one at a time.
IBM had difficulty getting customers to upgrade from the smaller machines to the mainframes because so much software had to be rewritten.