PDP is an abbreviation for Programmed Data Processor, the name of a series of computers, several of them ground-breaking and very influential, made by Digital Equipment Corporation. They were given that name because at the time of their introduction, computers had a reputation of being large and expensive machines, and the PDP machines were aimed at a market which couldn't afford the larger computers.The various PDP machines can generally be grouped into families based on word length. With the notable exception of the 16-bit PDP-11, the architectures show strong similarities, with the 36-bit PDP-6 and PDP-10 architecture being the most elaborate.
1 PDP Series
Members of the PDP series include:
- PDP-3: First 36-bit machine DEC designed, though DEC did not offer it as a product. The only PDP-3 was built by a customer in 1960. Architecturally it was essentially a PDP-1 stretched to 36-bit word width.
- PDP-4: Supposed to be a slower, cleaper alternative to the PDP-1, but not commercially successful; all later PDP 18-bit machines were based on its instruction set.
- PDP-5: DEC's first 12-bit machine. Introduced the instruction set later used in the PDP-8.
- PDP-6: 36-bit timesharing machine. Very elegant architecture. It was considered a large minicomputer or a mainframe.
- PDP-7: Replacement for the PDP-4; DEC's first wire-wrapped machine. The first version of UnixUNIX (or Unix is a portable, multi-task and multi-user computer operating system originally developed by a group of AT&T Bell Labs employees including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. Unices The term Unices includes Unix and Unix-like ope was for this machine.
- PDP-8The PDP-8 was the first successful commercial minicomputer, produced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in the 1960s. It was the first widely-sold computer in the DEC PDP series of computers (the PDP-5 was not originally intended to be a general-purpo: 12-bit machine with a tiny instruction set; DEC's first wildly successful computer. The first successful "personal computer", many were purchased by schools, university departments, and research laboratories. Later models were also used in the DECmate word processor and the VT-78 workstation.
- LINC-8: A hybrid of the LINCThe LINC (Laboratory Instrument Computer) was a 12-bit, 2048-word computer. The LINC and the PDP-8 can be considered the first mini computers and perhaps the first personal computers as well. Although its instruction set was small, it was larger than the and PDP-8 computers; two instruction sets. Progenitor of the PDP-12.
- PDP-9: Successor to the PDP-7, DEC's first micro-programmed machine.
- PDP-10: 36-bit timesharing machine, and fairly successful over several different models. The instruction set was a slightly elaborated form of that of the PDP-6.
- PDP-11: 16-bit machine, widely regarded as the best 16-bit instruction set ever created, and another huge hit for DEC. Also the LSI-11, primarily for embedded systemAn embedded system is a special-purpose computer system usually built into a smaller device. An embedded system is required to meet very different requirements than a general-purpose personal computer. Examples of embedded systems automatic teller machines. The VAXVAX is a 32-bit computing architecture that supports an orthogonal machine language and virtual addressing (i. demand paged virtual memory). It was developed in the mid-1970s by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). DEC was later purchased by Compaq, which series was descended from it.
- PDP-12: Descendant of the LINC-8.
- PDP-14 : A 12-bit machine intended as an industrial controller.
- PDP-15 : DEC's final 18-bit machine. Their only 18-bit machine constructed from TTL integrated circuits rather than discrete transistors.
- PDP-16: A "roll-your-own" sort of computer using Register Transfer Modules, mainly intended for industrial control systems with more capability than the PDP-14. The PDP-16/M was introduced as a standard version of the PDP-16.
