Midrange computers, or midrange systems, were a class of computer systems that fell in between mainframe computers and microcomputers.
This class of machine emerged in the 1960s, with models from Digital Equipment Corporation (PDP lines), Data General (NOVA), and Hewlett-Packard (HP 2100 and HP 3000) widely used in science and research as well as for business - and referred to as minicomputers.[disputed – discuss]
IBM favored the term "midrange computer" for their comparable, but more business-oriented systems.