
Chapter 1. Introduction to the new mainframe 5
signaled the start of the third generation: the first general-purpose computers.
Earlier systems such as the 1401 were dedicated as either commercial or
scientific computers. The revolutionary S/360 could perform both types of
computing, as long as the customer, a software company, or a consultant
provided the programs to do so. In fact, the name S/360 refers to the
architecture’s wide scope: 360 degrees to cover the entire circle of possible
uses.
With standardized mainframe computers to run their workloads, customers
could, in turn, write business applications that did not need specialized hardware ...