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The IBM System/360 (S/360) is a family of mainframe computer systems that was announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, and delivered between 1965 and 1978. It was the first family of computers designed to cover both commercial and scientific applications and a complete range of applications from small to large.
The System/360 replaced all five of IBM’s existing computer product lines with one strictly compatible family, using a new architecture that pioneered the 8-bit byte still in use on computers today.
The IBM 360 series of computers (System/360) was one of the first families of computers. The plan was to provide a wide range of computers, in price and performance, which were compatible with one another in what was termed "upward compatibility."
IBM’s System/360, a new family of general-purpose computers, changed everything. Programs for one System/360 computer ran on all, letting customers readily consolidate computing capabilities. Every subsequent IBM mainframe is a descendant of the first System/360s.
Jan 9, 2015 · The April 1964 announcement of IBM System/360 was revolutionary in content and unprecedented in scope. It replaced all five of IBM’s (6-bit-byte) computer product lines with one strictly compatible family, using a new hybrid-integrated-circuit technology and a new 8-bit-byte architecture.
At a cost to IBM of an estimated $5 billion, the System/360 represented the transition to the Third Generation of mainframe computers, traumatized IBM’s customers, and sent IBM’s competitors scrambling for survival.
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.
