Contd l Size and Capability Microcomputers Minicomputers Mainframe

Contd. . l Size and Capability – Microcomputers – Minicomputers – Mainframe computers – Supercomputers – Personal computers – Workstations – Parallel computers

Microcomputers l. A microcomputer is the smallest general purpose processing system. l Functionally it is similar to any other large system l Microcomputers are self-contained units and usually designed for use by one person at a time.

Minicomputers A minicomputer is a medium-sized computer that is more powerful than a microcomputer. l minicomputer is usually designed to serve multiple users simultaneously l A system that supports multiple users is called a multi-terminal time-sharing system l Minicomputers are the popular computing systems among research and business organisations today. More expensive. l

Mainframe computers l Computers with large storage capacities and very high speed of processing (compared to microcomputers or minicomputers) are known as mainframe computers. l They support a large number of terminals for simultaneous use by a number of users

Supercomputers have extremely large storage capacities and computing speeds which are many times faster than other computers. l The speed of traditional computers is measured in terms of millions of instructions per second (mips), a supercomputer is rated in terms of tens of millions of operations per second (mops) l used for large scale numerical problems in scientific and engineering disciplines l

Personal computers l Personal computers are nothing but microcomputers that are specially designed for the personal use of individuals. l The name personal computer was coined by IBM when it marketed its first microcomputer in 1981

Workstations l Which are placed in between minicomputers and microcomputers in terms of processing power l A workstation looks like a personal computer but it is specially designed for engineering and graphics applications.

Parallel computers l relatively a new type of computer that uses a large number of processors l The processors perform different tasks independently and simultaneously thus improving the speed of execution of complex programs dramatically

COMPUTING CONCEPTS l computer is basically a device used for processing of numbers and words known as data l essentially performs the following three operations in a sequence – Receives data (and instructions) – Processes data (as per the instructions) – Outputs result (information)

COMPUTING CONCEPTS Contd. . This cycle of operation of a computer is known as the input-process-output (IPO) cycle l data are provided to the computer in bits and pieces l They are encoded in such a way that the computer can understand the information provided l computer then processes the data with the help of certain instructions provided to it and produces a meaningful and desired output known as information l

COMPUTING CONCEPTS Contd. . l. A set of instructions designed to perform a particular sequence of operations is called a computer program l A set of programs is known as software l All these physical components are known as hardware

MAJOR REASONS FOR USING COMPUTERS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Volume of data to be stored is large. Accuracy of output information is very high. Processing is repetitive in nature. Very high speed complex calculations or decisions Timeliness of availability of information