From LQWiki
A dinosaur is any hardware requiring raised flooring and special power. Used especially of old minicomputers and mainframes, in contrast with newer microprocessor-based machines. In a famous quote from the 1998 Unix EXPO, Bill Joy compared the liquid-cooled mainframe in the massive IBM display with a grazing dinosaur “with a truck outside pumping its bodily fluids through it”. IBM was not amused. Compare big iron.
At IBM, a dinosaur is a very conservative user; a zipperhead.
This article is based, in whole or in part, on entry or entries in the Jargon File.
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