I think Pilar's answer is spot on. Doesn't need to be technical. We programmed in Cobol or Fortran and the business applications were the basics - finance, accounting, HR, benefits, safety & health, engineering, R&D (crunching lots of numbers). Where I used to work we had systems that were specific to the management of taxes paid on timberlands and logs (scale date). We had multiple platforms (DEC/VAX, IBM, HP, Wang, etc.).
 
If you'd like to learn more about mainframes and vintage computing check out the Living Computer Museum located here in the Sodo District of Seattle. The website has some very useful information & contacts. I think Peter posted a link to a New York Times article last week.
http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/
It is amazing to walk in and actually see real, live mainframes in action.
 
Rock on!
Sharon 
 
Sharon Burnett, CRM
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Seattle Washington USA 

"If it ain't broke, take it apart and see why. If it is broke, take it apart
and see why."
  


 		 	   		  
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