[ih] Intel 4004 vs the IMP

[Jorge Amodio]

Ohh forgot to mention, the intel 8008 was released in April 1972, but it
was 8-bits with a clock up to 800KHz, hard to challenge the HW316 (released
in 1969) that was 16-bits with a 2.5MHz clock.

Warm, Regards
Jorge


On Mon, Nov 15, 2021 at 8:19 AM Steve Crocker via Internet-history <
internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:

> National Public Radio in the U.S. is noting today that Intel introduced the
> 4004 microprocessor 50 years ago this week.  And thus began the
> microprocessor revolution.
>
> The Arpanet used separate computers, the IMPs, to orchestrate the
> communications.  Financially, this was just barely practical and was a
> major breakthrough.  The IMPs were Honeywell 516 and 316 computers, which
> used technology several years older than Intel's 4004.  And I doubt the
> 4004 would have been capable of serving as the CPU in an Arpanet router.
> But more capable microprocessors came along over the next few years.
>
> Might it be possible to pin down the crossover date?  That is, when did a
> microprocessor appear that was of the same power as the Honeywell 316?
>
> Alternatively, the processing needs for a router weren't staying static, so
> perhaps matching the power of a H316 would not have been sufficient.  In
> that case, the question is when did a microprocessor appear that was
> powerful enough to serve as a router?
>
> I have a guess, but I don't have first hand knowledge.
>
> Comments?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
> --
> Internet-history mailing list
> Internet-history at elists.isoc.org
> https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-history
>