Computer-Meaning,
http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/definition/computer
A computer is a device that accepts information (in the form of digitalized data) and
manipulates it for some result based on a program or sequence of instructions on how
the data is to be processed. Complex computers also include the means for storing data
(including the program, which is also a form of data) for some necessary duration. A
program may be invariable and built into the computer (and called logic circuitry as it is
on microprocessors) or different programs may be provided to the computer (loaded
into its storage and then started by an administrator or user). Today's computers have
both kinds of programming.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/computer
computer
(kəmˈpjuːtə)
1. (Computer Science)
a. a device, usually electronic, that processes data according to a set of instructions. The digital computer stores data indiscr
ete units and performs arithmetical and logical operations at very high speed. The analog computer has no memory and issl
ower than the digital computer but has a continuous rather than a discrete input. The hybrid computer combines some of the
advantages of digital and analog computers. See also digital computer, analog computer, hybrid computer
b. (as modifier): computer technology. cyber-
2. a person who computes or calculates
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/computer.html
Computer generally means a programmable machine. The two principal characteristics of a computer are: it responds to a specific
set of instructions in a well-defined manner and it can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).
Modern Computers Defined
Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery — wires, transistors, and circuits — is calledhardware; the
instructions and data are called software.
Types,
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/computer.html
Computer Classification: By Size and Power
Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows, though there is considerable overlap:
Personal computer: a small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor. In addition to the microprocessor, a personal
computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor for displaying information, and a storage device for saving data.
Workstation: a powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a personal computer, but it has a more powerful
microprocessor and a higher-quality monitor.
Minicomputer: a multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to hundreds of users simultaneously.
Mainframe: a powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously.
Supercomputer: an extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second.
The First Computer
The first computer, the ENIAC machine (John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania) used 18,000
vacuum tubes and trequired 167 square meters (1800 square feet) of floor space (source).
Features
Limitations
