Initially computers were complete and relatively closed products developed by individual manufacturers, which designed and produced all of their key components while also managing every aspect of their maintenance and use. The first significant departure from this production approach was brought on by minicomputers. Manufacturers no longer required an entirely original hardware or software design. Instead, they could combine various readily available minicomputer components into a functioning system, make their own modifications and market it under a new brand name. Electronic components, software, and other parts, such as their housings, could originate from entirely different industrial and design environments. The DEC PDP-11 minicomputers are a good example, since they were well established in Slovenia through locally produced variants manufactured by the company Iskra Delta.

With the advent of microcomputers this new production approach was further refined.…