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Types Of Computer

Different types of computer systems are used in various fields for

different applications as per the system performance requirements.

A computer is a digital electronic device designed to execute the

program instructions with high level of accuracy.

The computers are used in many fields to transform the raw data into the
meaningful information. The information has many useful applications.

The computer science technology in terms of hardware and software

has evolved in the last few decades.

 These developments led to the development of different types of
computers suitable for the specific types of application.

Different types of computers were invented to meet the needs of the

users. Based on the different criteria’s the computers are classified.

The computer types based on the technology used includes analog

computer, digital computer, and hybrid computer.

The computer types based on the size and processing power include
supercomputer, mainframe computer, workstation, minicomputer,
personal computer and embedded computer.

In this article, we will discuss in detail different types of computer, its

application and features.


 Types Of Computer Systems
Table Of Contents

 Introduction To Computer Types.

 Types Of Computers.

 Analog Computer.

 Digital Computer.

 Hybrid Computer.

 Supercomputer.

 Mainframe Computer

 Workstation Computer.

 Embedded Computer.

 Personal Computer.

Types Of Computer

Different types of computer systems are used in various fields for

different applications as per the system performance requirements.

The computer system types can be grouped into various categories


based on the size, system performance, application, computer hardware
 and software technology.

Types Of Computer Based On The Technology

The computers can be grouped into three basic types on the basis of the
technology used and the data handling capabilities of the computers.

 Analog Computer.

 Digital Computer.

 Hybrid Computer.

Types Of Computer

Analog Computer 
The term analogue we often come across many times with reference to
the technology used in various devices. The technology progressively
transformed from analog to digital.

For example, the mechanical watches were replaced by contemporary

digital watches. Similarly, the mechanical weighing scale got replaced by
a digital weighing scale.

In order to understand the term analogue computers, let us first

understand the meaning of term analog.

0:00 / 0:23

The word analogue ( also spelled analog ) comes from the Greek ana,
meaning “up to,” and logos, meaning, among other things, “ratio” and
 “proportion.”

The term analogue entered in computer language as an adjective to

describe a type of signal that is continuous in amplitude.

The analog computers were later on replaced by the 1970s with faster,
more powerful digital computers.

The analog computers were replaced due to the advancement in the

computer hardware and the digital electronics technology especially in
the field of microprocessor.


The analogue computers can process the analogue data. The analogue
data is continuous data that changes continuously and cannot have
discrete values.

In other words, the analogue computers are used where the accuracy of
the data need not be precise. For example, the measurement of length,
weight, speed, temperature, pressure and other such similar things.

The computers in terms of hardware architecture are driven by a specific

type of signals. In terms of hardware technology, the analogue computer
Digital Computer
works on the analogue signals.

The world is moving towards the digital world. The term digital we often
The analog computers were later on replaced by the 1970s with faster,
come across many times with reference to the technology used in
more powerful digital computers.
various devices.

The modern computer is said to be a digital computing machine. In

Types Of Computer
simple words, the latest breeds of computers work on the principles and
the digital electronic technology. 
 The digital computer means the computer can execute the program
instruction expressed in the form of binary representation that is either
zero ( 0 ) or one ( 1).

At the hardware level, the digital computer is driven by a steady stream

of clock pulses. The microprocessor inside the computer consists of
billions of tiny components called the transistor.

The transistor in the digital electronics can function like a micro-switch

that can be programmed to be either ON or OFF. These two discrete
states can be easily represented in the binary with either 1 and 0.



 Types Of Computer

Hybrid
And therefore, all computer Computer
programs are compiled to convert into
machine code instructions in binary. The processor can directly interpret
The term hybrid means combination of both analog and digital
and execute the machine code instructions in binary.
computing technology. And therefore, hybrid computers offer the
The digital
features andcomputer can process
functionalities of boththe
thedata represented
analog and digitalincomputers.
the binary
format that is either 0 or 1. The digital computers can perform arithmetic
The basic idea behind the hybrid computer is to combine the best of both
calculations and the logical operations using various logic gates.
analog and digital computing.

The analog computing makes arithmetic operations faster and the digital
components can perform faster logical operations.

A hybrid computer is tailormade and designed after taking into

consideration the processing power of the computer and the field of its
application.

A hybrid computer integrates the analog and the digital technology in

such a manner that it can perform fast and accurate operations.

Types Of Computer Based On The Processing Power


 The computers can be grouped into six basic types on the basis of the
physical size and the processing power of the computer.

 Supercomputer.

 Mainframe Computer.

 Mini Computer.

 Workstation Computer.

 Embedded Computer.

 Personal Computer.

Supercomputer

The supercomputers are the very high-performance computing machines

capable of performing billions of complex calculations at very high
speed.

The supercomputers are extremely powerful and expensive computing

machine platforms. These high-performance computing machines are
used in many research and development ( R & D ) fields.

Some of the most commonly used applications of supercomputers

include space, whether forecast, military, aviation, medical and clinical
research and many other fields.


 The performance of the supercomputers is measured in terms of
floating-point operations per second ( FLOPS ). The FLOPS is a measure
of the computing speed of a computer expressed in number of
operations per second, especially arithmetic operations involving the
floating-point numbers.

The countries with largest and most powerful operational

supercomputers include USA, Japan, India, China, Germany, France, UK
and Russia.

Most supercomputers work on the Linux based operating system. The

supercomputers need a reliable consistent power supply and precision
air-conditioning for the optimal performance.

Since June 2020, the Japanese Fugaku is the world’s most powerful
supercomputer, reaching initially 415.53 petaFLOPS and 442.01
petaFlops after an update in November 2020 on the LINPACK
benchmarks.

 Types Of Computer

Mainframe Computer

The mainframe computer are powerful computing machines. These

computers are specially used by large corporations to manage the
operations.

The mainframe computer comes with huge computing and processing

power used for large scale transaction processing work.

For example, big corporations like Amazon can deploy the mainframe
computer to process the large scale centralized global operations.


 Mani Computer

The minicomputer is also alternately referred to as mini-frame computer.

The minicomputer is a scale down variant of the mainframe computer.

It is a midsize computer with enough computing and processing power

The mainframe computer hardware configuration includes powerful
to support a large group of users up to three hundred.
processors, large solid-state primary and secondary memory, and high-
speed storage devices and other IT infrastructure.
For example, a university or an educational institution can install a
minicomputer to support large number of students accessing the service
The mainframe computer is critical for managing the commercial
placed within the campus area.
databases, transaction servers, and the application servers that require
high processing power, reliability, security and the versatility.


 The minicomputer can easily handle and support general purpose
computational requirements. These computers are relatively inexpensive
with minimum operational cost.

The minicomputer can also be used for a small organization for

commercial applications. With the advancement into hardware
technology, a powerful computing machines are now available in this
category.

Workstation Computer 
The workstation are specialized computers and similar in many ways to
Types Of Computer
the high configuration desktop computers.

The workstation hardware configuration is specifically designed for the

sizable reduction in the overall IT hardware cost.

The workstation computers are relatively offer more processing power

and memory as compared to the desktop computer.

The workstation computers are primarily designed to support the

centralized operations. These computers are extensively used in many
organizations.

The workstation computers can also be configured as per the needs of a

specific type of operations or application software.

For example, the workstations for a commercial bank are configured for
the database frontend application. Whereas, the workstations for an 
 engineering company can be configured for CAD CAM software
application.

Embedded Computer

The automation is an integral feature of the modern consumer electronic

devices. The smart gadgets today are sold with many programmed
operations to enhance the user experience.

The list of smart gadgets includes starting from your mobile, car,
washing machine, air-conditioner, digital camera, robotic vacuum
cleaners and other such devices.

However, in order to execute the preloaded operations, the gadget must

be equipped with a miniature computer device called an embedded
computer.


 Personal Computer
In simple words, an embedded computer is a package of hardware and
pre-loaded software that helps the modern gadgets to perform the
The personal computers need no introduction and these machines are
complex automated operations.
now part of our everyday life. These computers are used by the end
The embeddedusers for wide
computer range
is one theofmost
applications.
fascinating and rapidly
growing field that offers immense future growth potential.
The personal computers include wide range of computers such as
desktop, laptop, tablets and palmtops.

Types Of Computer
The latest range of personal computers carry enough processing punch.
These computers are equipped with the high-performance modern
microprocessor, the high data access speed of the RAM and the solid-
state permanent storage.

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Course Contents

SECTION – 1


Introduction To Computer Science
SECTION – 2

Introduction To Computer System

How Computer Works ?

What Is Computer Hardware ?

Types Of Computers

SECTION – 3

CS And Binary Number System

SECTION – 4

Computer System Memory

What Is Virtual Memory ?

Random Access Memory ( RAM ).

SECTION – 5

Central Processing Unit ( CPU )

What Is CPU ?

CPU Machine Cycle.

Instruction Cycle Explained.

Intel 8085 Architecture

Instruction Set Architecture

SECTION – 6

Computer Bus System

SECTION – 7

Computer BIOS And CMOS

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SECTION – 8
Computer Operating System

SECTION – 9

Data Structures And Algorithms

SECTION – 10

Computer Programming Fundamentals

Object Oriented Programming ( OOP )

Procedural Programming

Programming Paradigms

Program Compilation

SECTION – 11

Software Engineering

Application Software

System Software

SECTION – 12

Web Design And Development

SECTION – 14

Database Management Systems ( DBMS )

Entity Relationship Diagram ( ERD )

SECTION – 15

Relational Database Management System ( RDBMS )

How To Design Database ?

Database Normalization

Database Keys
SECTION – 16

Computer Engineering

SECTION – 17

MySQL RDBMS

SECTION – 18

Android Development

SECTION – 19

Java Programming Basics

SECTION – 20

What Is Computer Hardware ?

What Is Computer Motherboard ?

How To Select The Best Laptop ?

SECTION – 21

Computer Organization And Architecture

What Is CPU ?

What Is Control Unit ?

What Are CPU Registers ?

What Is Instruction Format ?

What Is Machine Instruction ?

Instruction Set Architecture

What Is Arithmetic Logic Unit ( ALU ) ?

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