history of Internet

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history of Internet

history of Internet

history of Internet

Type of Computer based on Size and Shape.

Based on shape Computer are Four type.

     1.    Microcomputers (personal computers).

2       2. Minicomputers (mid-range computers).

   3.   Mainframe computers.

 4. Supercomputers

1.    Microcomputers (personal computers)

A. A microcomputer is a small, relatively inexpensive computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit (CPU).

B.  It includes a microprocessor, memory and minimal input/output (I/O) circuitry mounted on a single printed circuit board (PCB).

C.  Microcomputers became popular in the 1970s and 1980s with the advent of increasingly powerful microprocessors.

These computers include:

Desktop computers – A case put under or on a desk. The display may be optional, depending on use. The case size may vary, depending on the required expansion slots. Very small computers of this kind may be integrated into the monitor.

Rackmount computers – The cases of these computers fit into 19-inch racks, and maybe space-optimized and very flat. A dedicated display, keyboard, and mouse may not exist, but a KVM switch or built-in remote control (via LAN or other means) can be used to gain console access.

In-car computers (carputers) – Built into automobiles, for entertainment, navigation, etc.

Laptops and notebook computers – Portable and all in one case.

Tablet computer – Like laptops, but with a touch-screen, entirely replacing the physical keyboard.

Smartphones, smartbooks, and palmtop computers – Small handheld personal computers with limited hardware specifications.

Programmable calculator– Like small handhelds, but specialized in mathematical work.

Video game consoles – Fixed computers built specifically for entertainment purposes.

Handheld game consoles – The same as game consoles, but small and portable

2.   2. Minicomputers (mid-range computers)

  It is smaller in size than a mainframe computer.

·         It is less expensive than a super and mainframe computer.

·         It is not much more powerful than the mainframe and supercomputer, but powerful than microcomputers.

·         It supports multiprocessing and multi-tasking.

 

·         The term "minicomputer" developed in the 1960s  to describe the smaller computers that became possible with the use of transistors and core memory technologies, minimal instructions sets and less expensive peripherals such as the ubiquitous Teletype Model 33 ASR. They usually took up one or a few 19-inch rack cabinets, compared with the large mainframes that could fill a room.

 

·       In terms of relative computing power compared to contemporary mainframes, small systems that were similar to minicomputers had been available from the 1950s. In particular, there was an entire class of drum machines, like the UNIVAC 1101 and LGP-30, that share some features of the minicomputer class. Similar models using magnetic delay line memory followed in the early 1960s. These machines however, were essentially designed as small mainframes, using a custom chassis and often supporting only peripherals from the same company.

3.   Mainframe computers

A mainframe computer is large but not as large as a supercomputer and has more processing power than some other classes of computers, such as minicomputers, servers, workstations, and personal computers. Most large-scale computer-system architectures were established in the 1960s, but they continue to evolve. Mainframe computers are often used as servers.

The term mainframe was derived from the large cabinet, called a main frame that housed the central processing unit and main memory of early computers. Later, the term mainframe was used to distinguish high-end commercial computers from less powerful machines.

                                                                Super Computer

44. Supercomputers

A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of million instructions per second (MIPS). Since 2017, there are supercomputers which can perform over 1017 FLOPS (a hundred quadrillion FLOPS, 100 petaFLOPS or 100 PFLOPS).

For comparison, a desktop computer has performance in the range of hundreds of gigaFLOPS to tens of teraflops.  Supercomputers were introduced in the 1960s, and for several decades the fastest were made by Seymour Cray at Control Data Corporation (CDC), Cray Research and subsequent companies bearing his name or monogram. The first such machines were highly tuned conventional designs that ran more quickly than their more general-purpose contemporaries. Through the decade, increasing amounts of parallelism were added, with one to four processors being typical. In the 1970s, vector processors operating on large arrays of data came to dominate.

A notable example is the highly successful Cray-1 of 1976. Vector computers remained the dominant design into the 1990s.

Article Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classes_of_computers

Computer Generation and Its Explanation.

First generation (1940 - 1956)- Vacuum tube

The first generation of computers used vacuum tubes as a major piece of technology. Vacuum tubes were widely used in computers from 1940 through 1956. Vacuum tubes were larger components and resulted in first-generation computers being quite large in size, taking up a lot of space in a room. Some of the first-generation computers took up an entire room.

The ENIAC is a great example of a first-generation computer. It consisted of nearly 20,000 vacuum tubes, 10,000 capacitors, and 70,000 resistors. It weighed over 30 tons and took up a lot of space, requiring a large room to house it. Other examples of first-generation computers include the EDSAC, IBM 701, and Manchester Mark 1.

Second generation (1956 - 1963) - Transistors

The second generation of computers saw the use of transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Transistors were widely used in computers from 1956 to 1963. Transistors were smaller than vacuum tubes and allowed computers to be smaller in size, faster in speed, and cheaper to build.

The first computer to use transistors was the TX-0 and was introduced in 1956. Other computers that used transistors include the IBM 7070, Philco Transac S-1000, and RCA 501.

                                                   Modern Computer

Third generation (1964 - 1971)- Integrated Circuit or IC.

The mass increase in the use of computers accelerated with 'Third Generation' computers starting around 1966 in the commercial market. These generally relied on early (sub-1000 transistor) integrated circuit technology. The third generation ends with the microprocessor-based 4th generation.

Fourth generation (1972 - 2010){ microprocessor}

Third generation minicomputers were essentially scaled-down versions of mainframe computers, whereas the fourth generation's origins are fundamentally different. The basis of the fourth generation is the microprocessor, a computer processor contained on a single large-scale integration (LSI) MOS integrated circuit chip.[29]

Microprocessor-based computers were originally very limited in their computational ability and speed and were in no way an attempt to downsize the minicomputer. They were addressing an entirely different market.

Processing power and storage capacities have grown beyond all recognition since the 1970s, but the underlying technology has remained basically the same of large-scale integration (LSI) or very-large-scale integration (VLSI) microchips, so it is widely regarded that most of today's computers still belong to the fourth generation.

Fifth generation (2010 to present)- Hopebot and AI.

The fifth generation of computers is beginning to use AI (artificial intelligence), an exciting technology with many potential applications around the world. Leaps have been made in AI technology and computers, but there is still room for much improvement.

One of the more well-known examples of AI in computers is IBM's Watson, which was featured on the TV show Jeopardy as a contestant. Other better-known examples include Apple's Siri on the iPhone and Microsoft's Cortana on Windows 8 and Windows 10 computers. The Google search engine also utilizes AI to process user searches.

 

Article Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/

https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001921.htm

What are Software and Its Classification?

 Software, also known as computer programs, is the non-tangible component of computers. Computer software contrasts with computer hardware, which is the physical component of computers. Computer hardware and software require each other and neither can be realistically used without the other.

Software includes all computer programs apart from of their architecture, Such as executable files, libraries and scripts are computer software. Software consists of clearly-defined instructions that upon execution, instructs hardware to perform the tasks for which it is designed. Software is stored in computer memory and cannot be touched.

Computer 

 At the lowest level, executable code consists of machine language instructions specific to an individual processor – typically a central processing unit (CPU).

 A machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions that change the state of the computer from its preceding state.

Software is usually written in high-level programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use than machine language.

 High-level languages are compiled or interpreted into machine language object code.

Types of Software

Application software uses the computer system to perform useful work or provide entertainment functions beyond the basic operation of the computer itself.

Example: MS office.

System software is designed to operate the computer hardware, to provide basic functionality, and to provide a platform for running application software.

Example: Operating System

System software includes:

Operating system,

It is an essential collection of computer programs that manages resources and provides common services for other software. Supervisory programs, boot loaders, shells and window systems are core parts of operating systems.

Device driver

It is computer program that operates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a computer. Each device needs at least one corresponding device driver; thus a computer needs more than one device driver.

Utilities, software designed to assist users in maintenance and care of their computers.

Article Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/