6 Examples of Software That Changed the World
In this article, we’ll take a look at six types of software that changed the way we live our lives, from terminal emulation software used for accessing mainframes, such as 3270 emulation, to peer-to-peer file sharing software such as Napster.
1. Graphical user interface
Long before the graphical user interface, computers were mainframes that were accessed with text-based terminals that could do nothing more than input and output textual data. Even during the early years of personal computer when the microcomputer become common the most widely used operating systems, such as MS-DOS, remained text based and lacked graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It wasn’t until the likes of Apple and Microsoft started developing image and mouse-based interactive abilities that personal computers were given the opportunity to shine.
2. Viruses
Introducing TTWin 4
A very special post for all of us at Turbosoft – today we’re pleased to announce that we’ve released version 4 of our flagship product, TTWin.
Supercomputers, Mainframes, Minicomputers and Microcomputers: Oh My!
The power of computers grows by the year. In this article, we’re going to take a look at four different categories of computers, from the personally-used microcomputers to larger affairs such as supercomputers and mainframes, which must be access with terminal emulation software such as a Windows terminal emulator.
1. Supercomputers
Supercomputers are like mainframe computers that have been designed for optimum processing power and overall speed. Perhaps the most well-known example of a supercomputer is the Cray-1, which was built in 1976.
The term ‘supercomputer’ is a fluid one; for example, today’s microcomputers typically have processing capabilities of older supercomputers; your desktop computer, for example, has more processing power than the first supercomputer. And today’s supercomputer will become the microcomputers of tomorrow. Still, in general, super computers perform highly calculation-intensive tasks and often cost several millions of dollars to build, install and maintain.
2. Mainframes
A Brief History of the Internet
The funny thing about the Internet is that it has been around for a lot longer than you probably realize. Most people would tell you the Internet came into being some time during the Nineties and, indeed, that is when it first started to reach the general public and become the all-pervading force we know it as today. However, the history of the Internet dates back a lot further — in fact, all the way back to the 1960s when mainframes were still relatively new. These days, terminal emulation software such as 3270 emulation is needed to access mainframes, and the Internet is stronger than ever.
If we want to get technical, we could tell you the roots of the Internet date all the way back to the 19th century, when cables were first laid across the Atlantic Ocean. Whereas, previously, communication across continents could only happen through messages carried via ships (and even then it could take weeks), the cable meant messages could be transmitted in a matter of minutes.
From Russia with love
Still in the Frame: Mainframes in 2011
Mainframes are powerful computers that rose to prominence in the world of big business during the 1960s. Despite the rise in prominence of high-end Unix and Intel-based servers, as well as the rise of the personal computing and cloud computing, mainframes are as relevant as ever in the year 2011. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the reasons behind this, such as terminal emulation software, as well as some of the biggest challenges facing mainframes.
What is a mainframe?
Most mainframes, due to their sheer size, occupy entire rooms with special air conditioning systems to ensure they stay cool. Modern mainframes are extremely reliable and capable of performing billions of transactions on a daily basis and, as such, are used by some of the world’s biggest organisations for mission-critical functions. In fact, statistics show that some 71 per cent of the world’s Fortune 500 companies — a list including banks, telcos and major airlines — still rely on mainframes to handle their bulk data processing.
7 Fun Facts About Mainframes
Here are a few quick facts about mainframes, from the recent upsurge in mainframe training to the critical role of terminalemulation in the modern mainframe environment.
1. Despite the theory that mainframers are an ageing workforce, over 50,000 students have received mainframe training and education at hundreds of universities worldwide in the last few years. This is thanks to IBM’s Academic Initiative. IBM recognized the ageing nature of the mainframer, as well as the fact young IT students are looking to other specialties, and have taken steps to combat this problem, offering no-charge access to hardware, full-version software and other training tools. It’s a good thing too, when you consider that…
The Terminal Emulation Glossary
If you’re new to the topic of terminal emulation, here is some of the most common jargon used in the industry.
Big Iron
(See Mainframe). Big Iron is a slang term for a mainframe; it refers to the bulky mainframes developed by IBM in the ’60s and ’70s.
Block mode
A method of communication between a terminal and a mainframe or host system. User input is entered into the terminal and sent to the host when a form or field is completed and submitted; in ‘blocks’. Some validation occurs on the terminal.
Character mode
A method of communication between a terminal and a mainframe or host system. Each keystroke(character) of input is sent from the terminal to the host when input. Validation is handled by the host system.
Graphical User Interfaces and Terminal Emulation
These days, we take the simplicity of working with computers for granted. If you’re like most people, you’re reading this page from a computer running a Windows operating system, though if you fall outside of the majority, it could be the increasingly popular Mac OS X from Apple, or maybe even a PC running Linux. Whatever the case, your operating system is doing an impeccable job of making using your computer a breeze and this is largely thanks to its graphical user interface or GUI. Once upon a time, there were no GUIs — there were only text based terminals. In this article, we’ll take a look at the evolution of computer access from crude terminals to graphical user interfaces, as well as looking at the role that terminal emulation plays today.
In the beginning…
Mainframes and Cloud Computing: Similarities and Differences
Since the arrival of cloud computing, the debate has raged: is cloud computing really just the mainframe re-imagined? Or are the differences significant enough that these two technologies should be considered opposite? In this article, we’ll take a look at both the similarities and differences of mainframe and cloud computing technology, including scalability, security, and terminal emulation considerations.
What are the similarities?
Client-server model: If you look closely at both mainframes and cloud computing, you’ll see that both are implementations of the client-server model where applications are stored and run on remote servers.
With the mainframe, applications are stored and run on large server computers stored in specialised, air-conditioned rooms designed specifically for housing the mainframe. Users then connect to the mainframe with the use of client terminals or, in more recent times, terminal emulation software. With cloud computing applications may be stored on various servers, but they are still accessed through a thin client).
What is CICS?
Here’s an important thing to remember about big businesses: when downtime occurs, it impacts them in a big way. Downtime is, quite simply, an absolute disaster. And when we talk about “big business” we’re not just talking about your run-of-the-mill corporation, either. We’re talking about Fortune 500 — the largest corporations in the world. Now, because they cannot afford downtime, these mega corporations require “mission-critical” transaction systems to run on powerful mainframes. This is where Customer Information Control System (CICS) comes in. Many of these companies — up to 90 per cent of the world’s Fortune 500 companies, it has been estimated — use CICS for their rapid, high-volume online processing needs, with the help of terminal emulation software to access the CICS servers.
What is CICS?
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