Computer is one of the brightest inventions of mankind. Thanks to computer technology, people have been able to store and process huge amounts of data, accelerate the pace of life, perform calculations, shop online and achieve unprecedented productivity. In order to properly select and operate the device, you need to know the methods of classifying computers.
Gradation of world computerization
A computer can be defined as any electronic device that receives and receives data, stores and processes it into meaningful information understandable to the user. This definition today includes many useful and necessary devices, such as watches, calculators, TVs, thermometers, laptops, mobile phones and many others.
All of them receive data and perform operations with the necessary information. Computer is just a generic term for a system made up of many devices. Computers of earlier times were the size of a room and consumed enormous amounts of electricity. Today, scientific and technological progress has minimized the size of machines, reducing them to the size ofsmall hours. And this is not the limit.
Currently computers are classified:
- by age;
- in terms of power and size;
- by purpose or functionality;
- by number of microprocessors;
- by binary number "BIT";
- by application area;
- by number of users;
- according to data processing schemes;
- for hardware and software;
- according to the size of computer memory.
Five computer generations
The devices are grouped by generation by age. These include cars of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth generations.
Five computer generations differ in information processing mechanisms:
- The first is in the vacuum tubes.
- Second - in transistors.
- Third - in integrated circuits.
- Fourth - in microprocessor chips.
- Fifth is in smart 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 memory for data processing.
- Low operating system.
- Took up a lot of installation space, sometimes an entire room.
- Consumed a lot of energy, at the same time releasing a huge amount of energy into the environment, which could lead todestruction of machines.
Second generation computers existed between 1958 and 1964. They had the following features:
- Used transistors.
- Less external volume of machines compared to first generation computers.
- Consumed less energy.
- The operating system was faster.
During this generation, programming languages such as Cobol and Fortran were developed and used in punched cards for data entry and printing.
Third generation computers existed between 1965 and 1971.
Features:
- Used integrated circuits (ICs).
- Were smaller due to the use of chips.
- Had a large memory for data processing.
- Processing speed was much faster.
- The technology used on these computers is Small Scale Integration (SSI) technology.
LSI Large Scale Integration Technology
4th generation computers were produced from 1972 to the 1990s. They used Large Scale Integration (LSI) technology:
- Large memory size.
- High processing speed.
- Small size and price.
- Produced with a keyboard that interacted well with the data processing system.
At this stage, there has been a rapid evolution of the Internet.
Other advances that were made included the introduction of a graphical user interface (GUI) and the mouse. In addition to the GUI, this kind of computer uses suchuser interfaces:
- natural language;
- Q&A;
- 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 designs.
In 1981, International Business Machine introduced its first home computer, known as the IBM PC.
The functional difference between computers
Classification of computers by purpose or functionality is divided into general purpose and special purpose machines. The first one solves a lot of problems. They are said to be multi-purpose as they perform a wide range of tasks. Examples of general purpose computers include desktops and laptops.
Special purpose computers solve only specific problems. They are designed to perform exclusively specific tasks. Examples of special purpose computers might include calculators and a money counter.
Data processing schemes
Classification of computers by data processing. Depending on the data processing schemes, devices are divided into analog, digital or hybrid.
Analogue computers operate on the principle of measurement, in which measurements are converted into data. Modern analog devices typically use electrical parameters such as voltages, resistances, or currents to represent processed quantities. Such computersare not directly related to numbers. They measure continuous physical quantities.
Digital computers are those that work with information, numerical or otherwise, represented in digital form. Such devices process data in digital values (in 0s and 1s) and give results with greater accuracy and speed.
Hybrid devices include the measurement function of an analog computer and the counting function of a digital device. These machines use analog components for computing purposes and digital storage devices for storage.
Classification of computers by power and size
Computers are available in different sizes and because of these differences, they perform a variety of jobs with different capacities.
Classification of computer memory by type:
- Microcomputers.
- Minicomputers.
- Supercomputers.
- Mainframes.
- Mobile computers.
Microcomputers. They are smaller and cheaper than mainframes and supercomputers, but also less efficient. For example, personal computers (PCs) and desktop devices.
Minicomputers. These are mid-sized computers that cost less than mainframes and supercomputers. For example, IBM mid-range machines.
Mobile devices. The classification of personal computers are laptops and netbooks of medium size placed on the user's lap during work, smaller handheld devices that can be held by hands -mobile phones, calculators and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Mainframe computers. These are very large expensive computer systems. They process data faster and are cheaper than supercomputers.
Supercomputers. Faster machines are very expensive because they do a lot of mathematical calculations. They are used to process very large amounts of data.
The fastest and most powerful supercomputer is very expensive and is used for specialized applications that require huge mathematical calculations, such as weather forecasting. Other applications of supercomputing include motion graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research, and oil exploration.
The main difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that the former directs all of 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 simultaneously supporting hundreds or even thousands of users.
In a hierarchy that starts with a simple microprocessor, such as watches at the bottom and supercomputers at the top of the list, mainframes are just below supercomputers. In a sense, mainframes are more powerful than supercomputers because they support many concurrent users, but supercomputers canrun one program faster than mainframes.
Microcomputer is the smallest general purpose processing system. The older PC launched an 8-bit processor at 3.7MB and the current 64-bit processor at 4.66GB.
Such devices can be divided into two types:
- Desk devices.
- Portable mechanisms.
The difference is that portable options can be used while traveling while desktops cannot be portable.
Organization by number of microprocessors
Based on the number of microprocessors, computers can be divided into:
- Sequential.
- Parallel.
Serial computers - any task performed on such devices is performed only by the microcomputer. Most of these devices are sequential computers, where any task completes a sequential instruction from start to finish.
Parallel computers are relatively fast. New types of machines that use a large number of processors. Processors perform different tasks independently and at the same time increase the speed of complex programs. Parallel computers match the speed of supercomputers at a much lower cost.
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 fixedfor computer. The number of bits in a word (or word length) determines the representation of all characters in those 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 set to true/false or on/off. An individual bit has a value of 0 or 1, which is typically 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 value of a bit is usually stored above or below a dedicated level of electric charge on a capacitor inside a memory module. For devices using positive logic, a value of 1 (true or high) is a positive voltage relative to electrical ground, and a value of 0 (false or low) is 0.
Typology by application area and users
Classification of computers in the modern world depends on their applications and purposes. Also 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 only designed to meet the requirements of a specific task or application. Instructions,needed to perform a specific task are permanently stored in the internal memory so that it can complete a task at a single command. This PC has no extra options and is therefore cheaper.
General purpose computers are designed to meet the needs of many different applications. On these machines, the instructions needed to perform a particular task are permanently plugged into internal memory. When one job is completed, instructions for another job can be loaded into internal memory for processing. This general purpose machine can be used for preparing payroll, inventory management, sales report, etc.
Classification of personal computers depending on the number of users:
- Single user mode - only one user can use the resource at any time.
- Multi-user mode - shared one computer by several users at any time.
Computer network - several interconnected autonomous machines used by many users at any time.
Firmware specification
Hardware is the physical components that make up a computer system. The personal computer software classification subdivides software and related data for computer hardware.
Hardware and software have a symbiotic relationship, meaning that without PC softwarevery limited, and without the hardware, the software won't work at all. They need each other to fulfill their potential.
Computer software classification:
- An operating system is software that allows the user to control the hardware without delving into its complexity.
- Utility programs - perform specific tasks related to equipment management. The classification of computer software by this type includes compression programs, formatters, defragmenters, and other disk management tools.
- Library programs are compiled libraries of commonly used routines. On a Windows system, they usually carry the DLL file extension and are often referred to as runtime libraries.
- Translators - Regardless of the language or type of language the user uses to write programs, they must be in machine code to be recognized and executed by a computer.
- Application software is typically used for tasks that have a connection to the world outside of the device.
Computer Device Classification categorizes computers by types of hardware, such as a hard drive that is physically connected to the computer, anything that can be physically touched. The CD, monitor, printer, and video card are all examples of computer hardware. Without any hardware, the computer will not function and the software will not work.
Hardware and softwaresoftware interact with each other: the software tells the hardware what tasks it should perform.
Classification of computer provisioning by device type:
- input devices;
- storage;
- processing;
- management;
- out.
Characteristic of computer memory
Computer memory is like the 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 location has a permanent address that ranges from 0 to 65535.
Computers mainly use three types of memory:
- Cache memory 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 that are used by the CPU are stored in cache memory. The CPU can access the data when needed. When the operating system starts, it transfers some important files and data from disk to cache memory, from where the processor can easily access them.
- Primary memory (main memory). Primary memory contains all the files and data or instructions that the computer runs on. When the computer is turned off, data stored in primary memory is lost forever. The capacity of this resource is limited. The semiconductor device is used in primary memory, which is slower than a register. Two subcategories of the mainmemory - RAM and ROM.
- Secondary memory. We know it as external. It is slower than main memory. A resource is used to permanently store data and information. The processor accesses secondary memory data through some I/O routines. The contents of the secondary memory cells are first transferred to the main memory, and then the CPU can access it. Example of additional memory: DVD, disc, CD-ROM, etc.
After reading this information, it will be easy for the user to answer the question to classify computers.
5th generation of computers: present and future
Computers of the fifth generation are built on the technological progress obtained in previous generations of devices. Their implementation is planned to improve the interaction between people and machines by using human intelligence and databases accumulated since the beginning of the digital age. Many of these projects are already being implemented, while others are still under development.
The classification of modern computers for 5th generation devices is a system that has a beginning but no end, since the devices of this group are still in development and invention. Their development began in the 1990s and continues today. They use technology at large scale integration (VLSI).
The pioneers in AI acceleration are Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Tesla. Initial results are already visible on smarthome devices that are designed to automate and integrate activities in the life support system at home.
