IBM System/38

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IBM System/38
IBM System/38
ManufacturerIBM
Release date1978 (1978)
Discontinued1988
Operating systemControl Program Facility
Dimensions1260x1775x750mm
PredecessorIBM System/34
SuccessorIBM AS/400
RelatedIBM System/36

The System/38 is a discontinued minicomputer and midrange computer manufactured and sold by IBM. The system was announced in 1978. The System/38 has 48-bit addressing, which was unique for the time, and a novel integrated database system. It was oriented toward a multi-user system environment. At the time, the typical system handled from a dozen to several dozen terminals. Although the System/38 failed to displace the systems it was intended to replace, its architecture served as the basis of the much more successful IBM AS/400.