What Does Big Iron Mean?
“Big iron” is slang for an extremely large, expensive and fast computer. It often refers to oversized computers such as Cray’s supercomputer or IBM’s mainframe. The term originated in the 1970s, when smaller computers known as minicomputers were introduced. The term “big iron” was coined by users, and the industry, to differentiate large computers from the smaller minicomputers.
Techopedia Explains Big Iron
The term is a derivative of “iron,” which is used to refer to something sturdy, strong and tough. The term “big iron” is frequently applied to highly effective computer ranches and servers that have resilient steel stands.
