Based on size, speed, and ability, computer can be categorized as Personal Computer (PC), supercomputer or mainframe, dedicated computer, and embeded computer.
A personal computer (PC) is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator. PCs include any type of computer that is used in a "personal" manner. This is in contrast to the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed large expensive mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time, or large data processing systems which required a full-time staff to operate efficiently.
A personal computer may be a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet PC, or a handheld PC (also called a palmtop). The most common microprocessors in personal computers are x86-compatible CPUs. Software applications for personal computers include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, games, and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software applications. Modern personal computers often have connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources.
A PC may be used at home or in an office. Personal computers may be connected to a local area network (LAN), either by a cable or a wireless connection.
While early PC owners usually had to write their own programs to do anything useful with the machines, today's users have access to a wide range of commercial and non-commercial software, which is provided in ready-to-run or ready-to-compile form. Since the 1980s, Microsoft and Intel have dominated much of the personal computer market, first with MS-DOS and then with the Wintel platform. Alternatives include Apple's Mac OS X and the open-source Linux OS. Applications and games for PCs are typically developed and distributed independently from the hardware or OS manufacturers, whereas software for many mobile phones and other portable systems is approved and distributed through a centralized online store.SuperComputer
A supercomputer is a computer which performs at a rate of speed which is far above that of other computers. Given the constantly changing world of computing, it should come as no surprise to learn that most supercomputers bear their superlative titles for a few years, at best. Computer programmers are fond of saying that today's supercomputer will become tomorrow's computer; the computer you are reading this article on is probably more powerful than most historic supercomputers, for example.
The term “supercomputer” was coined in 1929 by the New York World, referring to tabulators manufactured by IBM. To modern computer users, these tabulators would probably appear awkward, slow, and cumbersome to use, but at the time, they represented the cutting edge of technology. This continues to be true of supercomputers today, which harness immense processing power so that they are incredibly fast, sophisticated, and powerful.
The term “supercomputer” was coined in 1929 by the New York World, referring to tabulators manufactured by IBM. To modern computer users, these tabulators would probably appear awkward, slow, and cumbersome to use, but at the time, they represented the cutting edge of technology. This continues to be true of supercomputers today, which harness immense processing power so that they are incredibly fast, sophisticated, and powerful.
The primary use for supercomputers is in scientific computing, which requires high-powered computers to perform complex calculations. Scientific organizations like NASA boast supercomputers the size of rooms for the purpose of performing calculations, rendering complex formulas, and performing other tasks which require a formidable amount of computer power. Some supercomputers have also been designed for very specific functions like cracking codes and playing chess; Deep Blue is a famous chess-playing supercomputer.
In many cases, a supercomputer is custom-assembled, utilizing elements from a range of computer manufacturers and tailored for its intended use. Most supercomputers run on a Linux operating system, as these operating systems are extremely flexible, stable, and efficient. Supercomputers typically have multiple processors and a variety of other technological tricks to ensure that they run smoothly. or Unix
A special purpose computer is a computer designed for either a specific task or a narrow range of applications. This stands in contrast to a general purpose computer.
Examples of special purpose computers include video game consoles, embedded applications like microcontrollers in automobiles, kitchen appliances, and test equipment.
Differences between a general-purpose computer and a special-purpose computer
Sometimes when you read or hear people talking about computers you hear them talk about either general or special purpose computers and sometimes that meaning of these terms isn’t quite clear; which makes sense, because sometimes either can be used for the other purpose.
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| Wii Console game is an example of a special purpose computer |
But regardless, there are generally differences between the two. General-purpose computers are meant to be used for a variety of purposes and as such are engineered to work in a variety of situations and circumstances, whereas special-purpose computers are designed and built for a specific application.
As an example, most computers that you see advertised at the big box stores are general-purpose as they can all be used for most of the things that most people want to do; namely game playing, word processing, number crunching with spreadsheets and of course sending and receiving e-mail and text messages. And even though these so-called general purpose machines can be customized by the customer to better fit the things they want to do, which mostly means play video games at high resolutions, which better than average sound capabilities and fast video graphics cards, they are still for the most part considered to be general-purpose computers because they can very easily be used for run of the mill computer applications.
Other computers you may see or hear about on the other hand are made with a specific purpose in mind. One good example of this is computer graphics. If you happen to work for a company that makes animated images for television commercials or better yet for motion pictures, you’ll likely be using a computer that has been specifically engineered to perform graphics tasks at a much higher speed and level than is generally available for general use. These computers have special dedicated processors that can process graphic information and return a result in a very short amount of time. Also, they generally have other special graphics processors that display animated images much faster than general purpose computers, otherwise those people trying to work their magic would take a lot more time to get the results they are after which would mean higher production costs.
Also, it should be noted that quite often special-purpose computers use a different operating system than is normally found on run of the mill computers; this is so because it’s easier to modify open operating systems such as variants of Unix than it is to modify such a closed system as Microsoft Windows.
So, that in a nutshell is why almost any special-purpose computer is made, because there is a need so great that end-users are willing to pay a lot more for them in order to get the work done that they need to get done in a reasonable amount of time; and that is why they are special-purpose, because they are put to a certain specified use.
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| Robots use computer inside as the movement system |
An embedded computer is differentiated from a personal computer because it is essentially static in its function. While a personal computer, or some cellular telephones, or some personal organizers are able to have new software installed, and make use of a wide range of features, an embedded computer usually has only a few purposes, which are relatively fixed once the computer is manufactured.
Embedded systems vary in the amount of change that can happen to them after production. An MP3 player, for example, is an embedded computer, but can have quite a bit of interaction and changes made to it. It may allow the user to alter the colors used, change the clock, update firmware, and change the songs or playlists in memory. An embedded computer within a traffic light, to take another example, is probably quite fixed. It is set to respond to a few certain programs — time of day, a trigger when a car approaches, and perhaps input from a central database in the case of more advanced systems. These programs are not built for interactivity, and will likely never be changed over the system’s life.
Any computer used as a component in a device whose prime function is not that of a computer. One example is a weapons-guidance system. Another is a computer-controlled blood analyzer that uses a minicomputer or microcomputer to control various tests that are run on blood in order to produce an integrated printout of all test results. Many domestic electronic products now contain embedded computers.
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