11.   Mainframe computers were very large indeed, often occupying whole air-conditioned rooms, employing full-time technicians and run on specially-written software.

12.   What for example is the market value of a three-year old mainframe computer, or a seven-year old fork-lift truck?

13.   The same is known to be true of the reel-to-reel tapes favoured by the older mainframe computers.

14.   A mainframe computer can control the computing applications of a whole company or university.

15.   A minicomputer can often carry out many of the tasks of a mainframe computer but is smaller and needs less staff.

16.   All the relevant data is captured on a machine console and data can be transferred to mainframe computer for specific analysis.

17.   Also, Lehman Brothers analyst Don Young yesterday said shipments of mainframe computers may rise more than expected in the first quarter.

18.   Amdahl, which makes mainframe computers and software, wants to expand its computer-services division.

19.   Analysts said such a setup would increase the speed and reliability of running large databases without buying large, expensive mainframe computers, the paper reported.

20.   And unlike its rivals Fujitsu and Hitachi, NEC under Kobayashi developed mainframe computers that were not compatible with IBM machines.