mainframe for today & tomorrow

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In this post i will discuss some of the important facts about mainframe, because of that only it is most popular in today's world, & hope for feature also..

                         Today, mainframe computers play a central role in the daily operations of most of the world's largest corporations, including many Fortune 1000 companies. While other forms of computing are used extensively in business in various capacities, the mainframe occupies a coveted place in today's e-business environment. In banking, finance, health care, insurance, utilities, government, and a multitude of other public and private enterprises, the mainframe computer continues to form the foundation of modern business.

                      The long-term success of mainframe computers is without precedent in the information technology (IT) field. Periodic upheavals shake world economies and continuous— often wrenching— change in the Information Age has claimed many once-compelling innovations as victims in the relentless march of progress. As emerging technologies leap into the public eye, many are just as suddenly rendered obsolete by some even newer advancement. Yet today, as in every decade since the 1960s, mainframe computers and the mainframe style of computing dominate the landscape of large-scale business computing.

Why has this one form of computing taken hold so strongly among so many of the world's corporations? In this section, we look at the reasons why mainframe computers continue to be the popular choice for large-scale business computing. The mainframe owes much of its popularity and longevity to its inherent reliability and stability, a result of continuous technological advances since the introduction of the IBM® System/360™ in 1964. No other computer architecture in existence can claim as much continuous, evolutionary improvement, while maintaining compatibility with existing applications.

                        The term mainframe has gradually moved from a physical description of IBM's larger computers to the categorization of a style of computing. One defining characteristic of the mainframe has been a continuing compatibility that spans decades.

• The S/360: A turning point in mainframe history
  When did mainframe computers come into being? Mainframe development occurred in a series of generations starting in the 1950s. In those days, mainframe computers were not just the largest computers; they were the only computers and few businesses could afford them.
• Mainframe architecture: Secure, compatible, and still evolving
  An architecture is a set of defined terms and rules that are used as instructions to build products. Each generation of mainframe computers has included improvements in architecture, while remaining the most stable, secure, and compatible of all computing platforms.
• Mainframes in our midst: You use one every day
  Despite the predominance of mainframes in the business world, these machines are largely invisible to the general public, the academic community, and indeed many experienced IT professionals. Instead, other forms of computing attract more attention, at least in terms of visibility and public awareness. That this is so is perhaps not surprising. After all, who among us needs direct access to a mainframe? And, if we did, where would we find one to access? The truth, however, is that we are all mainframe users, whether we realize it or not.
• What is a mainframe? It's a style of computing
  Although the term mainframe first described the physical characteristics of early systems, today it can best be used to describe a style of operation, applications, and operating system facilities.
• Who uses mainframes and why do they do it?
  So, who uses mainframes? Just about everyone has used a mainframe computer at one point or another. If you ever used an automated teller machine (ATM) to interact with your bank account, you used a mainframe.
• Mainframe workloads: Batch and online transaction processing
  Most mainframe workloads fall into one of two categories: Batch processing or online transaction processing, which includes Web-based applications.
• Roles in the mainframe world
  Mainframe systems are designed to be used by large numbers of people. Most of those who interact with mainframes are end users— people who use the applications that are hosted on the system. However, because of the large number of end users, applications running on the system, and the sophistication and complexity of the system software that supports the users and applications, a variety of roles are needed to operate and support the system.
• What are mainframe operating systems?
  In simplest terms, an operating system is a collection of programs that manage a computer system's internal workings— its memory, processors, devices, and file system. Mainframe operating systems are sophisticated products with substantially different characteristics and purposes. 

I hope  i have covered most of the import thing about mainframe