Minicomputer-based health sciences instruction (summary report)

Abstract

Simplicity, ease of access, reliability, and frequent freedom from communication charges and difficulties, make the use of low-cost minicomputers attractive. Although their cost per computation is relatively high, in certain situations minicomputers may cost less than the use of a large time-shared computer and communication lines. Minicomputers are currently handicapped by small memory size and inadequate high speed bulk storage. Therefore, they frequently lack sophisticated languages and operating systems, and are limited in performing extensive computation and handling large amounts of data. As minicomputer technology advances, these problems should be alleviated.