Different Types of Computer

Analog Computers: These are almost extinct today. These are different from a digital computer because an analog computer
can perform several mathematical operations simultaneously. It uses continuous variables for mathematical operations and
utilizes mechanical or electrical energy.
Digital Computers: They use digital circuits and are designed to operate on two states, namely bits 0 and 1. They are
analogous to states ON and OFF. Data on these computers is represented as a series of 0s and 1s. Digital computers are suitable
for complex computation and have higher processing speeds. They are programmable. Digital computers are either general
purpose computers or special purpose ones. General purpose computers, as their name suggests, are designed for specific
types of data processing while general purpose computers are meant for general use.
Hybrid Computers: These computers are a combination of both digital and analog computers. In this type of computers, the
digital segments perform process control by conversion of analog signals to digital ones.
Mainframe Computers: Large organizations use mainframes for highly critical applications such as bulk data processing and
ERP. Most of the mainframe computers have capacities to host multiple operating systems and operate as a number of virtual
machines. They can substitute for several small servers.
Microcomputers: A computer with a microprocessor and its central processing unit is known as a microcomputer. They do
not occupy space as much as mainframes do. When supplemented with a keyboard and a mouse, microcomputers can be called
personal computers. A monitor, a keyboard and other similar input-output devices, computer memory in the form of RAM and
a power supply unit come packaged in a microcomputer. These computers can fit on desks or tables and prove to be the best
choice for single-user tasks.
Desktop Computers: A desktop computer is intended to be used on a single location. The spare parts of a desktop computer
are readily available at relatively lower costs. Power consumption is not as critical as that in laptops. Desktop computers are
widely popular for daily use in the workplace and households.
Laptops: Similar in operation to desktop computers, laptop computers are miniaturized and optimized for mobile use.
Laptops run on a single battery or an external adapter that charges the computer batteries. They are enabled with an inbuilt
keyboard, touch pad acting as a mouse and a liquid crystal display. Their portability and capacity to operate on battery power
have proven to be of great help to mobile users.
Netbooks: They fall in the category of laptops, but are inexpensive and relatively smaller in size. They had a smaller feature
set and lesser capacities in comparison to regular laptops, at the time they came into the market. But with passing time,
netbooks too began featuring almost everything that notebooks had. By the end of 2008, netbooks had begun to overtake
notebooks in terms of market share and sales.
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs): It is a handheld computer and popularly known as a palmtop. It has a touch screen and a
memory card for storage of data. PDAs can also be used as portable audio players, web browsers and smartphones. Most of
them can access the Internet by means of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi communication.
Minicomputers: In terms of size and processing capacity, minicomputers lie in between mainframes and microcomputers.
Minicomputers are also called mid-range systems or workstations. The term began to be popularly used in the 1960s to refer to
relatively smaller third generation computers. They took up the space that would be needed for a refrigerator or two and used
transistor and core memory technologies. The 12-bit PDP-8 minicomputer of the Digital Equipment Corporation was the first
successful minicomputer.
Servers: They are computers designed to provide services to client machines in a computer network. They have larger
storage capacities and powerful processors. Running on them are programs that serve client requests and allocate resources
like memory and time to client machines. Usually they are very large in size, as they have large processors and many hard
drives. They are designed to be fail-safe and resistant to crash.
Supercomputers: The highly calculation-intensive tasks can be effectively performed by means of supercomputers. Quantum
physics, mechanics, weather forecasting, molecular theory are best studied by means of supercomputers. Their ability of
parallel processing and their well-designed memory hierarchy give the supercomputers, large transaction processing powers.
Wearable Computers: A record-setting step in the evolution of computers was the creation of wearable computers. These
computers can be worn on the body and are often used in the study of behavior modeling and human health. Military and
health professionals have incorporated wearable computers into their daily routine, as a part of such studies. When the users'
hands and sensory organs are engaged in other activities, wearable computers are of great help in tracking human actions.
Wearable computers do not have to be turned on and off and remain in operation without user intervention.
Tablets: Tablets are mobile computers that are very handy to use. They use the touch screen technology. Tablets come with
an onscreen keyboard or use a stylus or a digital pen. Apple's iPad redefined the class of tablets.




Different Parts of Computer

Case
The case is the part of your computer that holds all the other parts. Some common types of computer cases are: full-
tower, mid-tower, mini-tower, and laptop. If you have a desktop computer, you are likely using a mid-tower; if you are
using a notebook computer, you have a laptop case.
Motherboard
The motherboard is the part of your computer that wires all of the other parts together. Every component of your
computer, from the DVD burner to the CPU, will connect directly into the motherboard. Motherboard specs are
typically designed around which processor (CPU) the computer uses. For example, if your computer uses an Intel
processor, you will need an Intel compatible motherboard.
Processor (CPU)
The processor, or CPU, of a computer is basically the brains of the computer. The processor is responsible for
interpreting every code it receives from the other computer components, and making it usable to your operating
system. Some common types of processors are Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Phenom. A processor's speed will often
determine the overall speed of your computer.
Hard drive
The hard drive part of your computer is very simple. Essentially, it is the part of the computer that stores all your
information. If you upload a picture to your computer, it is stored on the hard drive. Hard drive capacity is measure in
gigabytes, or GB. There are typically two ways that hard drives can connect to the motherboard: SATA and IDE.
Vedio Cards(Graphic Cards)
A graphic card is the component of your computer that interprets video signal. These cards are necessary so that you
can connect a monitor to your computer. There are many types of graphic cards available: anything from high-end
gaming cards to TV tuner cards. Some popular graphic card manufacturers are NVIDIA, ATI Etc.
Ram (Memory)
You may have heard of people upgrading the RAM in their computers. RAM is the part of your computer that is used
as instant memory. RAM is always in use. For example, if you run many programs at once, you may want to upgrade
your RAM because your computer is using more memory. RAM comes in many different configurations, such as
DDR2 and DDR3. The type of motherboard you have will determine your RAM.
Optical Drive
The last main part of a computer is the optical drive. An optical drive is many times the drive you would use to burn
CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and more. Optical drives can be either slot loading, or tray loading and come in many
different configurations. Optical drives connect directly to the motherboard of the computer.

Computer Hardware
Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitutes acomputer system. Computer hardware refers to the
physical parts or components of a computer such as the monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard drive disk
(HDD), system unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard and chips), etc. all of which are physical objects that can
be touched.
[1]
In contrast,software is instructions that can be stored and run by hardware.
Software is any set of machine-readable instructions that directs a computer's processor to perform specific operations. A
combination of hardware and software forms a usable computing system.
Computer Software
Computer software, or simply software, also known as computer programs, is the non-tangible component of computers. It
represents the set of programs that govern the operation of a computer system and make the hardware run. 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.
Computer software includes all computer programs regardless of their architecture; for example, executable
files, librariesand scripts are computer software. Yet, it shares their mutual properties: 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 memoryand cannot be touched, just as a 3D model shown in an illustration cannot be touched.
[1]

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. For example, an instruction may change the value stored in a
particular storage location inside the computer an effect that is not directly observable to the user. An instruction may also
(indirectly) cause something to appear on a display of the computer system a state change which should be visible to the
user. The processor carries out the instructions in the order they are provided, unless it is instructed to "jump" to a different
instruction, or interrupted.
Software is usually written in high-level programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer
to natural language) than machine language.
[2]
High-level languages are compiled or interpreted into machine language object
code. Software may also be written in a low-level assembly language, essentially, a vaguely mnemonic representation of a
machine language using a natural language alphabet. Assembly language is converted into object code via anassembler.

Different Types of Software
Software can also be categorized according to the following:
Retail software: This type of software is sold off the shelves of retail stores. It includes expensive packaging
designed to catch the eye of shoppers and, as such, is generally more expensive. An advantage of retail software is
that it comes with printed manuals and installation instructions, missing in hard-copy form from virtually every other
category of software. However, when hard-copy manuals and instructions are not required, a downloadable version
off the Internet will be less expensive, if available.
OEM software: OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer" and refers to software sold in bulk to resellers,
designed to be bundled with hardware. For example, Microsoft has contracts with various companies including Dell
Computers, Toshiba, Gateway and others. Microsoft sells its operating systems as OEM software at a reduced price,
minus retail packaging, manuals and installation instructions. Resellers install the operating system before systems
are sold and the OEM CD is supplied to the buyer. The "manual" consists of the Help menu built into the software
itself. OEM software is not legal to buy unbundled from its original hardware system.
Shareware: This software is downloadable from the Internet. Licenses differ, but commonly the user is allowed to try
the program for free, for a period stipulated in the license, usually thirty days. At the end of the trial period, the
software must be purchased or uninstalled. Some shareware incorporates an internal clock that disables the program
after the trial period unless a serial number is supplied. Other shareware designs continue to work with "nag"
screens, encouraging the user to purchase the program.
Crippleware: This software is similar to shareware except that key features will cease to work after the trial period
has ended. For example, the "save" function, the print function, or some other vital feature necessary to use the
program effectively may become unusable. This "cripples" the program. Other types of crippleware incorporate
crippled functions throughout the trial period. A purchase is necessary to unlock the crippled features.
Demo software: Demo software is not intended to be a functioning program, though it may allow partial functioning.
It is mainly designed to demonstrate what a purchased version is capable of doing, and often works more like an
automated tutorial. If a person wants to use the program, they must buy a fully functioning version.
Adware: This is free software that is supported by advertisements built into the program itself. Some adware requires
a live Internet feed and uses constant bandwidth to upload new advertisements. The user must view these ads in the
interface of the program. Disabling the ads is against the license agreement. Ad ware is not particularly popular.
Spyware: Spyware software is normally free, but can be shareware. It clandestinely "phones home" and sends data
back to the creator of the spyware, most often without the user's knowledge. For example, a multimedia player might
profile what music and video files the software is called upon to play. This information can be stored with a unique
identification tag associated with the specific program on a user's machine, mapping a one-to-one relationship. The
concept of spyware is very unpopular, and many programs that use spyware protocols were forced to disclose this to
users and offer a means to turn off reporting functions. Other spyware programs divulge the protocols in their
licenses, and make acceptance of the spyware feature a condition of agreement for using the software.
Freeware: Freeware is also down loadable off the Internet and free of charge. Often freeware is only free for personal
use, while commercial use requires a paid license. Freeware does not contain spyware or Ad ware If it is found to
contain either of these, it is reclassified as such. Public domain software: This is free software, but unlike freeware,
public domain software does not have a specific copyright owner or license restrictions. It is the only software that
can be legally modified by the user for his or her own purposes. People are encouraged to read licenses carefully
when installing software, as they vary widely.
there are many types of soft wares