Honeywell System 700

Honeywell System 700

Manufacturer	Honeywell, Inc.

The Honeywell System 700 is a family of discontinued 16-bit minicomputers from Honeywell, Inc..

The System 700 was introduced in 1972 and was intended for use as "key elements in a complete functional system rather than as small 'bare bones' central processors." ^[1]

As announced, the line comprises eight systems. Two systems use the older Honeywell 316 processor, and either the OP-16 or the BOS operating systems. The remaining six systems use the newer 716 processor, and the OS/700 operating system, which can be either disk- or memory-resident, or OP-16 or BOS. Systems came pre-configured as "a terminal control system, a peripheral control system, a multi-purpose system, a batch processing system, two sensor-based systems, a remote line concentrator and a remote message concentrator." A minimal system had a monthly rental as low as $1000 per month (equivalent to $7,500in 2024), or could be purchased for $30,000 (equivalent to $226,000in 2024). ^[1]

"Both hardware and software place emphasis on the real-time processing required for process control, data collection, and data communications environments." ^[2]

Processor

The 716 processor in the System 700 is backwards-compatible with the 316 and 516 processors, but adds features unavailable in these older processors. It is 20% faster than the DDP-516 and more than twice as fast as the H316. ^[2]

Users

The System 700 was the standard remote terminal for the US military's Worldwide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS) systems, which were built around Honeywell 6000 series mainframe systems. ^[3]

References

1. "Minicomputer Communications Systems". New Products. IEEE Computer. Vol. 5, no. 4. July–August 1972. p. 58. doi:10.1109/C-M.1972.216945 . Retrieved August 26, 2023.
2. "Honeywell System 700 Report". Auerbach Guide to Minicomputers. Auerbach. 1975. pp. 209–213. ISBN   0-87769-211-4 . Retrieved August 26, 2023.
3. Wadman, Kenneth W. "WWMCCS System 700 Remote Terminal Test and Diagnostic Software Utilization" (PDF). Defense Technical Information System (DTIC). WWMCCS ADP Directorate. Retrieved August 28, 2023.

• Honeywell Information Systems (1972). Honeywell System 700 Programmers' Reference Manual, Document #70130072575A. Waltham, Massachusetts: Honeywell, Inc.

External links

• "Honeywell Launches a New Attack on Communications and Control Problems: System 700". Computerworld. Vol. VI, no. 19. May 10, 1972. pp. 24–25. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
• "Big computer systems love Honeywell minicomputers". Computerworld. Vol. VII, no. 48. November 28, 1973. pp. 8––9. Retrieved August 26, 2023.