I'd suggest the Datapoint 2200 as the most influential minicomputer of all time since half of you are using an instruction set based on it and it is largely responsible for the creation of the microprocessor.
Now mostly forgotten, the Datapoint 2200 was a programmable desktop computer introduced in 1970. It had a processor built from TTL chips, along with shift-register memory from Intel. Datapoint discussed with Intel and Texas Instruments the possibility of building a single-chip processor to replace the board of TTL chips. TI was first with the TMX 1795 processor, followed by Intel's 8008, both copying the Datapoint 2200 instruction set.
Datapoint decided that these chips didn't have enough performance and fatefully gave up rights to them. TI tried to sell the TMX 1795 to Ford, but got nowhere and abandoned the chip. Intel decided to sell the 8008 as a standalong microprocessor, which was used in early personal computers like the Mark-8. Intel improved the 8008 to form the 8080, then made a somewhat compatible 16-bit version, the 8086, which started the x86 architecture. (Because the Datapoint 2200 was little-endian (to use shift-register memory), x86 is little-endian.)
To summarize its influence, without the Datapoint 2200, the microcomputer industry would have been greatly delayed (since the 4004 wasn't suitable for a personal computer) and x86 wouldn't exist.
"PDP-11 with UNIX opened the floodgates for inexpensive interactive computing, which then led to an explosion of office productivity. "
Well before we get too misty eyed: "inexpensive" needs looking at "for inexpensive interactive computing".
I'm not old (55) enough to have really got to grips with a PDP11. I do still own (yes: present tense) a C64 from 1986. The C64 was bought by my dad via the NAAFI in West Germany so I have no idea what it costed. Let's wind forward a bit:
I had a 80286 based PC in 1987ish with 1MB of RAM, 20MB RLL hard disc. The graphics card (ISA) had a whopping 512 bytes of RAM. That thing costed about £1200. I added a 80287 later at about £120 so I could run a pirated copy of AutoCAD.
In 1990ish I had a 80486 with 4Mb RAM and 40MB HD - that costed something like £1600.
Nowadays £1600 will buy quite a decent laptop and 35 years of inflation.
I'd suggest the Datapoint 2200 as the most influential minicomputer of all time since half of you are using an instruction set based on it and it is largely responsible for the creation of the microprocessor.
Now mostly forgotten, the Datapoint 2200 was a programmable desktop computer introduced in 1970. It had a processor built from TTL chips, along with shift-register memory from Intel. Datapoint discussed with Intel and Texas Instruments the possibility of building a single-chip processor to replace the board of TTL chips. TI was first with the TMX 1795 processor, followed by Intel's 8008, both copying the Datapoint 2200 instruction set.
Datapoint decided that these chips didn't have enough performance and fatefully gave up rights to them. TI tried to sell the TMX 1795 to Ford, but got nowhere and abandoned the chip. Intel decided to sell the 8008 as a standalong microprocessor, which was used in early personal computers like the Mark-8. Intel improved the 8008 to form the 8080, then made a somewhat compatible 16-bit version, the 8086, which started the x86 architecture. (Because the Datapoint 2200 was little-endian (to use shift-register memory), x86 is little-endian.)
To summarize its influence, without the Datapoint 2200, the microcomputer industry would have been greatly delayed (since the 4004 wasn't suitable for a personal computer) and x86 wouldn't exist.
"PDP-11 with UNIX opened the floodgates for inexpensive interactive computing, which then led to an explosion of office productivity. "
Well before we get too misty eyed: "inexpensive" needs looking at "for inexpensive interactive computing".
I'm not old (55) enough to have really got to grips with a PDP11. I do still own (yes: present tense) a C64 from 1986. The C64 was bought by my dad via the NAAFI in West Germany so I have no idea what it costed. Let's wind forward a bit:
I had a 80286 based PC in 1987ish with 1MB of RAM, 20MB RLL hard disc. The graphics card (ISA) had a whopping 512 bytes of RAM. That thing costed about £1200. I added a 80287 later at about £120 so I could run a pirated copy of AutoCAD.
In 1990ish I had a 80486 with 4Mb RAM and 40MB HD - that costed something like £1600.
Nowadays £1600 will buy quite a decent laptop and 35 years of inflation.