from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
System/360
IBM 360
<computer> The generic name for the {CPUs} and architecture
released by {IBM} on 1964-04-07. The 360 was marketed as a
general purpose computer with 'all round' functionality -
hence 360 (degrees).
Models ranged from the 360/20 to the 360/65 and later the
360/95, with typical memory configurations from 16K to 1024K.
Elements of the architecture, such as the basic {instruction
set} are still in use on IBM {mainframes} today. Operating
System/360 ({OS/360}) was developed for System/360. Other
associated {operating systems} included {DOS}, {OS/MFT} and
{OS/MVT}.
The 360 architecture was based on an 8-bit {byte}, 16 general
purpose {registers}, 24-bit addressing, and a PSW (Program
Status Word) including a location counter.
{Gene Amdahl}, then an IBM employee, is generally acknowledged
as the 360's chief architect. He later went on to found
{Amdahl Corporaton}, a manufacture of {PCM} {mainframe}
equipment.
The 360's predecessors were the smaller {IBM 1401} and the
large {IBM 7090} series. If was followed by the {IBM 370}.
See also {ABEND}, {ALC}, {BAL}, {Big Red Switch}, {HCF}, {mode
bit}, {PL360}, {PL/S}.
(2004-06-06)