MIR (
Russian:МИР) is a series of early Soviet transistorized
minicomputer
A minicomputer, or colloquially mini, is a type of general-purpose computer mostly developed from the mid-1960s, built significantly smaller and sold at a much lower price than mainframe computers . By 21st century-standards however, a mini is ...
s. It was developed from 1965 (MIR), 1968 (
MIR-1) to 1969 (
MIR-2). The development team was led by
Victor Glushkov.
Overview
MIR (МИР) stands for «Машина для Инженерных Расчётов» (Machine for Engineering Calculations) and means both "world" and "peace" in Russian. It was designed as a relatively small-scale computer for use in engineering and scientific applications. Among other innovations, it contained a hardware implementation of a high-level programming language capable of
symbolic manipulations with
fraction
A fraction (from , "broken") represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, a fraction describes how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, eight-fifths, thre ...
s,
polynomial
In mathematics, a polynomial is a Expression (mathematics), mathematical expression consisting of indeterminate (variable), indeterminates (also called variable (mathematics), variables) and coefficients, that involves only the operations of addit ...
s,
derivative
In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is t ...
s and
integral
In mathematics, an integral is the continuous analog of a Summation, sum, which is used to calculate area, areas, volume, volumes, and their generalizations. Integration, the process of computing an integral, is one of the two fundamental oper ...
s. Another innovative feature for that time was the
user interface
In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fro ...
combining a keyboard with a monitor and
light pen
A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's cathode-ray tube (CRT) display.
It allows the user to point to displayed objects or draw on the screen in a similar way to a to ...
used for correcting texts and drawing on screen.
Technical specifications
Technical specifications for MIR-1:
* memory unit: 4096 12-bit words of
core memory (access time 2.5 microseconds, memory cycle time 16 microseconds)
* external storage: 8-track
punched tape
file:PaperTapes-5and8Hole.jpg, Five- and eight-hole wide punched paper tape
file:Harwell-dekatron-witch-10.jpg, Paper tape reader on the Harwell computer with a small piece of five-hole tape connected in a circle – creating a physical program ...
. Input device: paper tape reader FS-1501 (up to 1500 symbols/second). Output device: tape punch PL-80 (up to 80 characters per second)
* performance: 200-300 arithmetic operations per second on five-digit numbers
* power consumption: 1.5 kW (using 380V
three-phase electric power
Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3ϕ) is a common type of alternating current (AC) used in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. It is a type of polyphase system employing three wires (or four including an optional n ...
)
* weight: about 400 kg
See also
*
List of Russian inventions
References
External links
Description of Mir series of computers
{{List of Soviet computer systems
Soviet inventions
Soviet computer systems
Minicomputers