The Personal Computer

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What is a Computer?

A computer is a device that accepts data, then performs arithmetic or logical operations that manipulate or change the data, and finally produce new results from that data. Given that definition, you might think there are many machines or devices that qualify as a computer – and you’d be right. Computers come in many shapes and sizes. Commonly, they are grouped into four types: the personal computer, the minicomputer, the mainframe computer, and the supercomputer.

The Personal Computer

For many people, the path to computer literary begins with the personal computer, so that is our primary focus here. The personal computer, or microcomputer as it is sometimes called, is(1)one designed for use by a single individual, (2) usually small enough to fit on a desktop, and (3) affordable enough for the average person. The personal computer is sometimes called a microcomputer, reflecting the fact that it is smaller than a mainframe of a minicomputer. Today, we commonly use the term personal computer (or PC) generally to refer to many different kinds of microcomputers. This includes the IBM PC, the Apple Macintosh, the Commodore Amiga, and many others.

Personal computers come in many sizes. Besides the common desktop machine, there are portable, laptops, notebooks, and palmtops. The most powerful models are called workstations, which have the power and capabilities of a minicomputer.

The first personal computers were like the old Volkswagen beetle: they came with only the bare essentials. Their owners had to know a lot more about electronics than today’s personal computer users. In 1977, Apple and Tandy/Radio Shack became the first companies to introduce personal computers to the mass consumer market. Radio Shack’s management wasn’t sure there would be much interest in personal computers when the TRS-80 Model I came off the assembly line, so they only made enough so each retail store would have one. If it didn’t sell, the store could use it for inventory or something, they reasoned. Needless to say, it sold very well and today Tandy is one of the leading personal computer suppliers.

A state-of-the-art personal computer has a system unit, where the computer’s electronic and mechanical are housed. The keyboard is used to enter data and instructions. The monitoror video display screen is where you see your work. A separate printerprovides a finished copy of the results. These hardware components are common to all computers, large and small. Large computers often fill many cabinets and can have hundreds of keyboards and monitors, so more than one person can use them at once.