 On April 7, 1964, IBM introduced the revolutionary System/360, the first large "family" of computers to use interchangeable software and peripheral equipment, a departure from IBM's existing product line of incompatible machines, each of which was designed to solve specific customer requirements.The idea of a general-purpose machine was considered a gamble at the time.Within two years, the System/360 became the dominant mainframe computer in the marketplace and its architecture became a de facto industry standard.