Skip to content
Step by Step Internet 🌐 Guides for learning to surf the Net

Macrocomputers; What are they, what are they for and what are their uses?

Macrocomputers; What are they

Computers have never been simple . Even now that we have them so at hand, in any home, there are many users who use them without knowing anything about them beyond knowing how the task they want to do is done.

Part of all this mess is given by the different types of computers that exist and among which is the macrocomputer, which is our protagonist today .

Let’s see what exactly it is, in addition to knowing why it is characterized. We will end up comparing it with one of the most important computer equipment of today: the mainframe.

What are Macrocomputers in computing? Definition

que es una macrocomputadora

This is the concept contrary to microcomputer , which is a computer machine that includes a microprocessor.

Today all have these, so that, according to the definition of the concept, we could say that macrocomputers no longer exist. However, we will just talk about these machines as they were conceived at the time, half a century ago.

Therefore, we have a macrocomputer is a large computer , several meters in fact, based on the use of what were once conventional processors (which today are no longer, of course); It is nothing more than a large, very large, scale computer.

To better understand the concept, we can say that differs from the supercomputer in that the latter is completely modular , that is, it has a large number of microprocessors, which work together in the execution of both a single task and several.

What are the main features of this type of macro-sized computer?

Always remember that we are talking about this machine as it would be conceived when it was designed and invented. Thus, we have as features:

  • A huge size : As we have said, these machines, which required thousands of vacuum tubes, could measure many meters, a characteristic that was obviously reduced Over the years thanks to developments such as mercury delay lines. Even so, they are still devices of the size of a closet or even greater in some occasions.
  • Their power and processing speed are very high: Of course, we are talking about the equipment that were at the top, the most exclusive and designed for highly important tasks, so that their CPU was, without a doubt, the best of the moment in any of the aspects. Even so, the number of processes that are performed at the same time or open programs exceeds the speed at which the problems can be solved (the speed would be the characteristic star of the supercomputer).
  • A huge amount of operations had to be done per second: That was the purpose of the computing machines in their beginnings and was maintained for a very long time .
  • Another essential aspect to mention is the quality of engineering in the design , which allowed repairs and programming readjustments to be “simple”.
  • All of the above makes this team undoubtedly highly expensive , being available only to companies and large organizations.
  • Additionally, the mainframe , which is a type of macrocomputer, was characterized by its storage capacity and data management , so, of course, we can also consider this as a characteristic of macrocomputers.

Is a Macrocomputer the same as a Mainframe?

MACROCOMPUTADORA Y MAINFRAME ES LO MISMO

Yes and no. A mainframe is a type of macrocomputer , as it meets all the features we have seen in the previous point. However, this one, also serves as a server , being a team to which several others connect.

On the contrary, not all macrocomputers were designed, much less, for this purpose . Many of them have only functioned as calculation machines , without even having databases. Many others, yes, can work and work as servers, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

However, it should be noted that the macrocomputer, as such, no longer exists (the “bicharraco” par excellence is the supercomputer), because, as we have seen, the essence of the concept has long since That disappeared. In this way … it seems everyone’s decision to say whether macrocomputer and mainframe are the same.