The term “mainframe” originated from the frames that held early computers, with the evolution of its meaning shifting from being a part of a computer to being a type of computer. The IBM 701 computer in 1952 was the earliest to use the term “main frame”, consisting of various frames with the main frame holding the main components. Surprisingly, “mainframe” was used to refer to the physical box of minicomputers or even microcomputers until the 1980s. Eventually, “mainframe” became synonymous with a large, powerful computer for transaction processing or business applications. IBM embraced the “mainframe” label in the mid-1980s after years of using other marketing terms.
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