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Computer Types According Structure

BS EDUCATION 1st Semester (Spring) Session: 2023-2027 Subject : Computer Application Teacher : Ch Naveed Afzal University of Sargodha Semester from march 2023 to july 2023

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Kamran Abdullah
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63 views

Computer Types According Structure

BS EDUCATION 1st Semester (Spring) Session: 2023-2027 Subject : Computer Application Teacher : Ch Naveed Afzal University of Sargodha Semester from march 2023 to july 2023

Uploaded by

Kamran Abdullah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Define System?

A system is comprised of a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified


whole.
Define Computing?
Computing is the activity of developing and using computer technology, including computer
hardware and software.
Define Computer System?
The computer system includes not only the computer, but also any software and peripheral
devices that are necessary to make the computer function.
Types of Computer
Define Computer?
A computer is a device that performs four functions: it inputs data (getting information into the
machine); it stores data (holding the information before and after processing); it processes data
(performing prescribed mathematical and logical operations on the information at high speed);
and it outputs data (sending the results out to the user via some display method).
A computer system consists of both hardware and software. The hardware is the physical
equipment: the computer itself, and the peripherals connected to it. The peripherals are any
devices attached to the computer for purposes of input, output, and storage of data (such as a
keyboard, monitor display, or external hard disk).
The software consists of the programs and associated data (information) stored in the
computer. A program is a set of instructions that the computer follows to manipulate data.
Being able to run different programs is the source of a computer’s versatility. Without programs,
a computer is just a lot of high-tech hardware that doesn’t do anything. But with the
detailed, step-by-step instructions of the program (painstakingly written by humans) the
computer can be used for tasks ranging from word processing a letter to Aunt Mary, to
simulating global weather patterns. The computer appears to be so amazing simply because it
can execute these sets of instruction very very fast; but it’s just following the program steps one
by one in a very simple-minded manner.
As a user, you will interact with the programs running on your computer through the input
devices connected to it, such as a mouse and a keyboard. You use these devices to provide input
(such as the text of a report you are working on) and also to give commands to the program
(such as specifying what text is to appear with bold formatting). The computer program will
provide output (the data resulting from the manipulations within the computer) via various
output devices for presenting the information (such as a monitor, a printer, or a sound output
system that beeps if the program needs your attention). These input and output devices are
discussed in separate sections of this tutorial.

http://www.unm.edu/~tbeach/terms/types.html

Types of Computer

Microcomputers
A microcomputer is a computer that has a microprocessor chip as its CPU. They are often
called personal computers because they are designed to be used by one person at a time.
Personal computers are typically used at home, at school, or at a business. Popular uses for
microcomputers include word processing, surfing the web, sending and receiving e-mail,
spreadsheet calculations, database management, editing photographs, creating graphics, and
playing music or games.
Personal computers come in two major varieties, desktop computers and laptop computers:
Desktop computers are larger and not meant to be portable. They
usually sit in one place on a desk or table and are plugged into a wall
outlet for power. The case of the computer holds the motherboard, drives,
power supply, and expansion cards. This case may lay flat on the desk, or
it may be a tower that stands vertically (on the desk or under it). The
computer usually has a separate monitor (either a CRT or LCD) although
some designs have a display built into the case. A separate keyboard and Desktop
mouse allow the user to input data and commands.
Laptop or notebook computers are small and lightweight enough to be
carried around with the user. They run on battery power, but can also be
plugged into a wall outlet. They typically have a built-in LCD display that
folds down to protect the display when the computer is carried around.
They also feature a built-in keyboard and some kind of built-in pointing device (such as a touch
pad).
While some laptops are less powerful than typical desktop machines, this is not true in all cases.
Laptops, however, cost more than desktop units of equivalent processing
Laptop or notebook
power because the smaller components needed to build laptops are more

expensive.
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is a handheld microcomputer that
trades off power for small size and greater portability. They typically use
a touch-sensitive LCD screen for both output and input (the user draws
characters and presses icons on the screen with a stylus). PDAs
communicate with desktop computers and with each other either by cable
connection, infrared (IR) beam, or radio waves. PDAs are normally used
to keep track of appointment calendars, to-do lists, address books, and for
taking notes. PDA

A palmtop or handheld PC is a very small microcomputer that also


sacrifices power for small size and portability. These devices typically
look more like a tiny laptop than a PDA, with a flip-up screen and
small keyboard. They may use Windows CE or similar operating
system for handheld devices.
Some PDAs and palmtops contain wireless networking or cell phone
devices so that users can check e-mail or surf the web on the move.
Palmtop

Workstations/Servers
A workstation is a powerful, high-end microcomputer. They contain
one or more microprocessor CPUs. They may be used by a single-user
for applications requiring more power than a typical PC (rendering
complex graphics, or performing intensive scientific calculations).
Alternately, workstation-class microcomputers may be used as server
computers that supply files to client computers over a network. This
class of powerful microcomputers can also be used to handle the Workstation computer
processing for many users simultaneously who are connected via
terminals; in this respect, high-end workstations have essentially supplanted the role of
minicomputers (see below).
Note! The term “workstation” also has an alternate meaning: In networking, any client computer
connected to the network that accesses server resources may be called a workstation. Such a
network client workstation could be a personal computer or even a “workstation” as defined at
the top of this section. Note: Dumb terminals are not considered to be network workstations
(client workstations on the network are capable of running programs independently of the server,
but a terminal is not capable of independent processing).
There are classes of computers that are not microcomputers. These include supercomputers,
mainframes, and minicomputers.

Minicomputers
A minicomputer is a multi-user computer that is less powerful than a mainframe. This class of
computers became available in the 1960’s when large scale integrated circuits made it possible to
build a computer much cheaper than the then existing mainframes (minicomputers cost around
$100,000 instead of the $1,000,000 cost of a mainframe).
The niche previously filled by the minicomputer has been largely taken over by high-end
microcomputer workstations serving multiple users (see above).

Mainframes
A mainframe computer is a large, powerful computer that handles the processing for many
users simultaneously (up to several hundred users). The name mainframe originated after
minicomputers appeared in the 1960’s to distinguish the larger systems from the smaller
minicomputers.
Users connect to the mainframe using terminals and submit their tasks for processing by the
mainframe. A terminal is a device that has a screen and keyboard for input and output, but it
does not do its own processing (they are also called dumb terminals since they can’t process
data on their own). The processing power of the mainframe is time-shared between all of the
users. (Note that a personal computer may be used to “emulate” a dumb terminal to connect to a
mainframe or minicomputer; you run a program on the PC that pretends to be a dumb terminal).

Mainframes typically cost several hundred thousand dollars. They


are used in situations where a company wants the processing power
and information storage in a centralized location. Mainframes are
also now being used as high-capacity server computers for networks
with many client workstations.
Mainframe computer (this
IBM z-series computer is
Supercomputers about 6 feet tall)
A supercomputer is mainframe computer that has been optimized
for speed and processing power. The most famous series of
supercomputers were designed by the company founded and named
after Seymour Cray. The Cray-1 was built in the 1976 and installed
at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Supercomputers are used for
extremely calculation-intensive tasks such simulating nuclear bomb
detonations, aerodynamic flows, and global weather patterns. A
supercomputer typically costs several million dollars.
Recently, some supercomputers have been constructed by
Supercomputer (this one is
connecting together large numbers of individual processing units (in a Cray-2 from the 1980’s)
some cases, these processing units are standard microcomputer
hardware).Super computer processing speed measure in FLOPS

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