What is Desktop (or) Personal Computers and How it Works

Desktop computer also known as personal computers (P.C’s) are the most popular type of computer in use today. Computers may be called ‘Microcomputers’. Which are light weight and portable. It designed for individual users, these devices include a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and Other Peripherals like Speakers, printers, scanners etc. It used for word processing, accounting, desktop publishing, preparation and delivery of presentations, and...

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What is Workstations and How it Works

Workstations are also desktop machines, consisting of more powerful processor, and large display unit (higher-quality monitor), more RAM and more Hard Disk capacity. But they are only used by one person at a time (single-user computers). Most workstations have built their hardware to connect to a local area network (LAN). It support applications that require high-quality graphics capabilities and a lot of memory, such as desktop publishing...

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What is Mini Computers and How it Works

It designed to support more than one user at a time. It possesses large storage capacity and operates at a higher speed. It is used in multi-user system in various users can work at the same time. They also used as in Local Area Networks (LAN).These are used for process control, cad, scientific research and on line reservation systems etc., Ex: PDP-11, HCL Magnm, HCL Oaysi, HCL Horizon II E, IBM 9375 etc., ...

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What is Mainframe Computers and How it Works

Mainframe Computers are generally 32-bit microprocessors. They required large storage capacity and high processing speed. These are used for very large data handling where multi user environment is needed (parallel data processing). Mainframe computers can be used by as many as hundreds or thousands of users at the same time. There are organizations such as banks and insurance companies which process large number of transactions online.Ex : IBM...

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What is Super Computers and How it Works

Super computers are the fastest computers in the world. These computers are fastest and most expensive machines. It consists of thousands of processors. These are high processing speed compared to any other computers. These are used for biomedical research, aircraft design, whether forecasting and other science and technology. Ex: CRAY -1, CRAY -2, ETA -10, CYBER 205, CDC, CRAY XMP, STAR 100, etc., ...

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What Micro Computers and How it Works

These are the mostly used computers in small business and companies and basically single user computers.There are lowest end of the computer range in terms of speed and storage capacity. Micro Computers are also called personal computers. The first micro computers were built of 8-bit microprocessor chips. Most common use application of personal computers is in this category. Ex. DCM Tandy, Commodore, Uptrans 800, PC-AT, IBM PC etc., ...

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What is Hybrid computers and How it Works

A combination of computers those are capable of inputting and outputting in both digital and analog signals. A hybrid computer system setup offers a cost effective method of performing complex simulations.Hybrid computers are again divided into two types.(a) General purpose computers and(b) Special purpose computers.General purpose computers:General purpose computers are used for commercial Applications and different varieties of works.Special purpose...

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What is Analog Computers and How it Works

Analog computers used relational method of comparison for processing the data. An analog computer works in parallel, it can carry out multiple tasks simultaneously. Analog computer can work both mechanically and electronically. Recent and common mechanical analog computer is the slide rule. But today’s problems of computing require processing involving numerical calculations and logical Analysis. The people tried to develop the computers having both...

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What is Digital Computer and How it Works

The Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC) was the first Electronic Digital Computer Computer is an Electronic Data Processing machine which receive and stores large volumes of information in the form of digit (binary) and process them as per the instructions at a very high speed and produces the desired result with preselected degree of accuracy. The internal architectural design of computers differs from one system model...

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Fifth Generation Computers

Fifth Generation Computers: !-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in .25in 1.0in .25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;}...

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Fourth Generation Computers

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Third Generation Computers

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Second Generation Computers

Second Generation Computers:  In the 1955 Transistor are replaced the electric tubes. Transistors are reliable when compared with tubes, they occupy less space, they require less power and have higher operating speed. They have no filament and require no heating. Manufacturing cost was also very low. COBOL, FORTRAN, ALGOL were developed during this generation. Operating System and Batch Operating System also developed in this period. In...

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First Generation Computers

Vacuum Tubes ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator) UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) !-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in .25in 1.0in .25in;...

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Analytical Engine

Charles Babbage The famous English man Charles Babbage built a mechanical machine to do complex mathematical calculations. It was called difference engine. Which would compute and check the tables but the engine was of limited use. Later he developed a general-purpose calculating machine called analytical engine. his could do arithmetic calculations very fastly. You know that Charles Babbage is called the father of computer. The...

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Leibniz - German philosopher and mathematician

The German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz built a Mechanical device that could both multiply and divide. He improved Pascal's machine in 1671. The machine was able perform all the four basic mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The draw back of this machine was that it was very slow. ...

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Pascal's Calculator

The French scientist Blaise Pascal developed a machine at the age of 19 that could add and subtract. He developed the first real calculating machine, which could add numbers by using wheels, gears and cylinders. All the mechanical calculators developed later were based these ideas....

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Punched Card

Herman Hollerith developed punched cards. He invented and used a punched card device to help analyze the 1890’s US census data. Herman Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company to sell his invention the Company became part of IBM. Even today these cards are extensively used in modified form as input devise. ...

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Slide Rules

William Oughtred  Slide rule English mathematician William Oughtred developed the slide rule. This machine could perform operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It was widely used in Europe in 16th century. Slide rule an improvement over the logarithm tables as the final value could be straight away read on the scale. Search Terms : slide rule, a slide rule, slide ruler, sliderule, log, log...

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Napier's bones (Logarithms)

English mathematician John Napier built a mechanical device for the purpose of multiplication in 1617 A D. 'Napier' designed a set of rods that helped to make multiplication easier. The rods were arranged in a manner that made it possible to fit them together into a multiplication table. The rods were called Napier bones.Search Terms : napier s bones, john napier bones, john napier napier s bones, john napier s bones, napier bones history, multiplication,...

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What is a Computer ?

What is a Computer ? I think the easiest way I can explain it is as a computer is electronic device that is designed to automatically accept input (data), stores and process them producing output (results). It can process both numerical and non-numerical (arithmetic and logical) calculations. For a common man computer is simply a calculator, which works automatic and quite fast. For a person who knows much about it, computer is a machine...

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What is ABACUS

The first calculating device called ABACUS was developed by the Egyptian & Chinese people.The word ABACUS means calculating board. It consisted of sticks in horizontal positions on which were inserted sets of pebbles. It has a number of horizontal bars each having ten beads. Horizontal bars represent units, tens, hundreds, etc., Search Terms : the abacus, abacus it, about abacus, what is abacus, about the abacus,...

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