Issue link: https://insights.oneneck.com/i/1422692
4 End-User Computing For Dummies, Nutanix Special Edition These materials are © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Any dissemination, distribution, or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. What's more interesting is to consider the methods by which organizations have opted to provide workload and application access to their users over the years. Those long-gone mainframe days were the very definition of centralized computing. Workers were assigned to access terminals that were hardwired into the mainframe. Workers had little to no control or influence over their environment. They simply used the tools that they were provided. They didn't have a way to get their work done with other tools or at other locations. Jettisoning the mainframe for something smaller As the mainframe era began its slow wind-down, it gave way to the minicomputer era. Minicomputers were essentially scaled down mainframes that could be more easily distributed and connected with one another because they were smaller and didn't require entire rooms or floors of buildings. They still used terminal-based end-user access methods, but with a twist that I explain shortly. Discovering the emergence of x86 dominance Overlapping with the minicomputer era is the age of what we can now term x86 distributed computing, defined by the emergence of the local area network (Ethernet or Token Ring), with companies such as Banyan and Novell leading the charge, but the winner of which was eventually Microsoft. These environments marked the first major foray into real distribution of end-user computing devices, with organizations of all stripes deploying desktop and, eventually, laptop computers to their users. These overlapping eras began to expose some new opportunities that were less accessible before. As users were issued x86 desk- tops and laptops to replace aging green-screen and orange-screen terminals, they didn't lose access to those minicomputer and mainframe-based applications. In fact, they gained new levels of accessibility even as they were exposed to emerging LAN-centric client/server applications. Through the use of software constructs that emulated the single-use terminals that the users had grown accustomed to, these users suddenly had a more full-featured and complete end-user computing experience. Moreover, with the increase in use of laptops and the meteoric rise of home-based