Computer is one of the most striking inventions of mankind. Thanks to computer technology, people were able to achieve storage and processing of huge amounts of data, accelerate the pace of life, perform calculations, purchase online and achieve unprecedented productivity. In order to correctly select and operate the device, you need to know the methods of classifying computers.
Graduation of World Computerization
A computer can be defined as any electronic device that receives and receives data, stores and processes them into meaningful information that is understandable to the user. Today, many useful and necessary devices fall under this definition, such as watches, calculators, televisions, thermometers, laptops, mobile phones and many others.
All of them receive data and carry out operations with the necessary information. Computer is just a generic term for a system made up of many devices. Computers from earlier times were the size of a room and consumed a huge amount of electricity. Today, scientific and technological progress has minimized the size of machines, reducing them to the size of small watches. And this is not the limit.
Currently, computers are classified:
- according to the age;
- by power and size;
- by appointment or functionality;
- by the number of microprocessors;
- according to the binary number "BIT";
- by application area;
- by the number of users;
- according to data processing schemes;
- hardware and software;
- by the size of computer memory.
Five computer generations
By age, devices are grouped by generation. These include cars of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth generations.
Five computer generations differ in information processing mechanisms:
- The first is in vacuum tubes.
- The second is in transistors.
- The third is in integrated circuits.
- Fourth - in microprocessor chips.
- Fifth, in intelligent devices capable of artificial intelligence.
Computers of the first generation. This is a generation of machines that were created between 1946 and 1957. These devices had the following characteristics:
- Vacuum tubes for connection.
- Magnetic drums as a memory for data processing.
- Low operating system.
- They occupied a large space for installation, sometimes a whole room.
- They consumed a lot of energy, while at the same time they threw a huge amount of energy into the environment, which could lead to the destruction of cars.
Second generation computers existed between 1958 and 1964. They had the following features:
- Used transistors.
- The smaller external volume of cars in comparison with computers of the first generation.
- Consume less energy.
- The operating system was faster.
During this generation, programming languages such as Cobol and Fortran, which were used in punch cards to enter and print data, were developed.
Third generation computers existed between 1965 and 1971.
Features:
- Used integrated circuits (ICs).
- They were smaller due to the use of chips.
- They had a large memory for processing data.
- Processing speed was much higher.
- The technology used on these computers is Small Integration Technology (SSI).
LSI large-scale integration technology
4th generation computers were produced from 1972 to the 1990s. They used the technology of large-scale integration (LSI):
- Large size memory.
- High processing speed.
- Small size and price.
- Issued with a keyboard that interacted well with the data processing system.
At this stage, there has been a rapid evolution on the Internet.
Other advances that were made included the introduction of a graphical user interface (GUI) and mouse. In addition to the GUI, this type of computer uses the following user interfaces:
- natural language;
- questions and answers;
- command line (CLI);
- filling out forms.
The creation of the 4th computer was initiated by the Intel C4004 microprocessor , after manufacturers began to integrate these microchips into their new developments.
In 1981, the International Business Machine introduced its first home computer, known as the IBM PC.
Functional difference between computers
The classification of computers by purpose or functionality is divided into general and special purpose machines. The first of them solve many problems. They are said to be multi-purpose because they perform a wide range of tasks. Examples of general purpose computers include desktop computers and laptops.
Special purpose computers solve only specific problems. They are designed to perform exclusively specific tasks. Examples of special purpose computers may include calculators and a money counter.
Data processing schemes
Classification of computers for data processing. Depending on the data processing schemes, devices are divided into analog, digital or hybrid.
Analog computers operate on the principle of measurement, in which the received measurements are translated into data. Modern analog devices typically use electrical parameters, such as voltages, resistances, or currents, to represent the quantities being processed. Such computers are not directly related to numbers. They measure continuous physical quantities.
Digital computers are those that work with information, numerical or other, presented in digital form. Such devices process data in digital values (at 0 s and 1 s) and give results with greater accuracy and speed.
Hybrid devices include an analog computer measurement function and a digital device counting function. For computing purposes, these machines use analog components, and use digital storage devices for storage.
Classification of computers by capacity and size
Computers are available in different sizes and due to these differences they carry out various types of work with different capacities.
Classification of computer memory by type:
- Microcomputers.
- Minicomputers.
- Supercomputers.
- Mainframes.
- Mobile computers.
Microcomputers. They are smaller and cheaper compared to mainframes and supercomputers, but they are also less efficient. For example, personal computers (PCs) and desktop devices.
Minicomputers. These are medium-sized computers that are cheaper than mainframes and supercomputers. For example, middle-class machines IBM.
Mobile devices. The classification of personal computers is medium-sized laptops and netbooks placed on the user's lap during work, smaller handheld devices that can be held by hands - mobile phones, calculators and a personal digital assistant (PDA).
Mainframe computers. These are very large, expensive computer systems. They process data faster and cheaper compared to supercomputers.
Supercomputers. Faster cars, very expensive, because they perform a large number of mathematical calculations. They are used to process very large data arrays.
The fastest and most powerful supercomputer is very expensive and is used for specialized applications requiring huge mathematical calculations, for example, for weather forecasting. Other applications for supercomputers include animated graphics, fluid dynamics, nuclear energy research, and oil exploration.
The main difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that the former directs all its power to a few specific tasks, while mainframes use their power to run many programs simultaneously. A mainframe computer is very large and expensive, capable of supporting hundreds or even thousands of users at the same time.
In a hierarchy that starts with a simple microprocessor, such as the clock below and supercomputers at the top of the list, mainframes are located just below supercomputers. In a sense, mainframes are more powerful than supercomputers because they support many concurrent users, but supercomputers can run a single program faster than mainframes.
The microcomputer is the smallest general-purpose processing system. The older PC launched an 8-bit processor with a speed of 3.7 MB and the current 64-processor processor with a frequency of 4.66 GB.
Such devices can be divided into two types:
- Desktop devices.
- Portable gears.
The difference is that portable options can be used while traveling, while desktop computers cannot be carried.
Systematization by the number of microprocessors
Based on the number of microprocessors, computers can be divided:
- Sequential.
- Parallel.
Serial computers - any task performed on such devices is performed only by a microcomputer. Most of these devices are serial computers, where in any task a sequential instruction is completed from beginning to end.
Parallel computers are relatively fast. New types of machines that use a large number of processors. Processors perform various tasks independently and simultaneously increase the speed of complex programs. Parallel computers correspond to the speed of supercomputers, while they have a much lower price.
BIT separation
This is a classification of computers based on word length. The binary digit is called BIT. A word is a group of bits that is fixed to a computer. The number of bits in a word (or word length) determines the representation of all characters in these bits. Word lengths range from 16 to 64 bits on most modern computers.
A binary digit or bit is the smallest unit of information on a computer. Used to store information and has the value true / false or on / off. An individual bit has a value of 0 or 1, which is usually used to store data and implement instructions in groups of bytes. A computer is often classified by the number of bits it can process at one time, or by the number of bits in a memory address.
Many systems use four eight-bit bytes to form a 32-bit word. The bit value is usually stored above or below the allocated level of the electric charge of the capacitor inside the memory module. For devices using positive logic, a value of 1 (true or high) is positive voltage relative to electrical ground, and a value of 0 (false or low) is 0.
Typology by application area and users
The classification of computers in the modern world depends on their applications and purposes. It also depends on how many users will use the machines in their work. Devices are classified by application:
- Special purpose vehicles.
- General purpose computers.
The former are intended only to meet the requirements of a specific task or application. The instructions necessary to perform a specific task are constantly stored in the internal memory, so that it can perform the task with one command. Such a PC has no extra options and therefore it is cheaper.
General purpose computers are designed to meet the needs of many different applications. On these machines, the instructions needed to complete a specific task are constantly connected to the internal memory. When one task is completed, instructions for another task can be loaded into internal memory for processing. This general purpose machine can be used to prepare payrolls, inventory management, sales reports, etc.
The classification of personal computers depending on the number of users:
- Single-user mode - only one user can use the resource at any time.
- Multiuser mode - shared by one computer by several users at any time.
A computer network is several interconnected autonomous machines that are used by many users at any time.
Hardware Specification
Hardware - the physical components that make up a computer system. The personal computer software classification divides software and related data for computer hardware.
The hardware and software have a symbiotic relationship, which means that without software the PC is very limited, and without hardware the software cannot work at all. They need each other to realize their potential.
Computer Security Classification:
- An operating system is software that allows the user to manage equipment without delving into its complexity.
- Utility programs - perform specific tasks related to equipment management. Computer software classification by this type includes compression, formatting, defragmentation, and other disk management tools.
- Library programs are compiled libraries of commonly used routines. On a Windows system, they usually carry a DLL — a file extension and are often called runtime libraries.
- Translators - regardless of the language or type of language that the user uses to write programs, they must be in machine codes for them to be recognized and executed by the computer.
- Application software is usually used for tasks that have a connection with the world outside the device.
The classification of a computer device divides computers into types of hardware, such as a hard drive that is physically connected to a computer, of everything that can be physically touched. A CD, monitor, printer, and video card are all examples of computer hardware. Without any equipment, the computer will not function, and the software will not work.
Hardware and software interact with each other: software tells the hardware what tasks it should perform.
Classification of computer support by device type:
- Input Devices;
- storage;
- processing;
- management;
- output.
Computer memory feature
Computer memory is like a human brain that is used to store data and instructions. Computer memory is divided into very small cells. Each of the latter has a unique location, each place has a permanent address, which varies from 0 to 65535.
The computer mainly uses three types of memory:
- Cache is a high-speed memory that speeds up the processor. It acts as a buffer between the processor and main memory. Regularly used data and program files used by the CPU are stored in cache memory. The CPU can access data when needed. When the operating system starts, it transfers some important files and data from the disk to the cache, from where the processor can easily access them.
- Primary memory (main memory). The primary memory contains all the files and data or instructions on which the computer is running. When the computer is turned off, data stored in the primary memory is permanently lost. The capacity of this resource is limited. The semiconductor device is used in the primary memory, which is slower than the register. Two subcategories of main memory - RAM and ROM.
- Secondary memory We know her as external. It is slower than main memory. The resource is used for permanent storage of data and information. The processor accesses the secondary memory data using some I / O procedures. The contents of the secondary memory cells are first transferred to the main memory, and then the central processor can access it. Example of additional memory: DVD, disc, CD-ROM, etc.
After reviewing this information, it will be easy for the user to answer the question of classifying computers.
5th generation of computers: present and future
Fifth-generation computers are built on technological advances from previous generations of devices. , . , .
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