The IBM System/3 was an IBM midrange computer introduced in 1969, and marketed until 1985. It was produced by IBM Rochester in Minnesota as a low-end business computer aimed at smaller organizations that still used IBM 1400 series computers or unit record equipment. The first member of what IBM refers to as their "midrange" line, it also introduced the RPG II programming language. It is the first ancestor in the product line whose current version is the IBM i series and includes the highly successful AS/400. History At its launch in 1969 it was available for $1000/month — less than half cost of an IBM System/360 Model 20; the smallest member of the IBM System/360 family. Many of the original System/3 model 10 units were shipped diskless, with only the new IBM 5424 Multifunction Card Unit (MFCU) which read, punched, printed on and sorted the new, smaller 96-column punched cards introduced at the same time. IBM delivered the following models: 1969 — IBM 5410, or System/3 Model 10, introduced (shipped in 1970) 1970 — IBM 5406, or System/3 Model 6, introduced (disk-oriented system) 1973 — IBM 5415, or System/3 Model 15, introduced 1974 — IBM 5408, or System/3 Model 8, introduced 1975 — IBM 5412, or System/3 Model 12, introduced 1976 — IBM 5404, or System/3 Model 4, introduced The System/3 and successor models System/32, System/34, System/36 and System/38 are generally referred to in IBM terminology as "midrange systems" — in contrast to IBM's mainframes. Hardware The IBM System/3 was announced as a computer system that initially consisted of: IBM 5410 Model 10 Central Processing Unit IBM 5424 Multi Functional Card Unit (MFCU) IBM 5203 Line Printer IBM 5444 Disk Storage (optional) IBM 5471 Printer Keyboard IBM 5475 Data Entry Keyboard IBM 5496 Data Recorder, a keypunch machine with print and verify functions IBM 5486 Card Sorter Memory Entry models had as little as 4K (4096) bytes of magnetic-core memory. Direct access storage For mass storage, the System/3 used the IBM 5444 single-platter disk, roughly the size of a large pizza; initially each platter held 2.5 MB of data. Standard configuration for storage was one or two fixed disks, each in a separate pull-out drawer, which typically held the operating system and user-developed programs. Additionally, each fixed disc could have a removable cartridge disk attached; these typically contained the data-files associated with various applications, for example Payroll, and users frequently