For sure, and up until the mid-to-late 80s RAM speeds were higher than processor speeds. So approaches to architecture were totally different.
Most minicomputer class processors were sewn together from multiple chips and transistors; even their register sets for the CPU were often not dissimilar from main memory. Texas Instrument's minicomputer (and later microcomputer) architecture even just put registers in RAM. In the microcomputer world, the 6502 got around having a very small register set by just having a 256-byte "zero page" with slightly faster cycle access than regular memory.
There was no need for complicated cache hierarchies. Relative cost of a context switch or interrupt or transition from user space to kernel etc. was way lower than now.
And the users of the system were by and large trusted. Security was more of a suggestion.
Most minicomputer class processors were sewn together from multiple chips and transistors; even their register sets for the CPU were often not dissimilar from main memory. Texas Instrument's minicomputer (and later microcomputer) architecture even just put registers in RAM. In the microcomputer world, the 6502 got around having a very small register set by just having a 256-byte "zero page" with slightly faster cycle access than regular memory.
There was no need for complicated cache hierarchies. Relative cost of a context switch or interrupt or transition from user space to kernel etc. was way lower than now.
And the users of the system were by and large trusted. Security was more of a suggestion.