Group 4 (Thursday)
11-ICT
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A minicomputer is a type of computer that
possesses most of the features and capabilities
of a large computer but is smaller in physical
size.
A minicomputer fills the space between the
mainframe and microcomputer, and is smaller
than the former but larger than the latter.
Minicomputers are mainly used as small or midrange servers operating business and scientific
applications. However, the use of the term
minicomputer has diminished and has merged
with servers.
A minicomputer may also be called a mid-range
computer.
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Minicomputers are introduced in the early 1960s and
announced a new era in computing. They are
relatively low cost and small. This setup allowed more
people to have access to computers and as a result a
splurt of new applications in universities, industry,
and commerce are created. Digital Equipment
Corporation developed the PDP-1 minicomputer in
1960, and the PDP-8 virtualy conquered the market is
a sweep and sold over 40,000 units. In time some
200 companies produced this type of minicomputers.
DEC got at the top of the market with the PDP-11,
and with the VAX 11/780 system. The latter will
become a landmark system in the history of
computing.
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Many consider tablet PCs to
be the ultimate portable
solution. They can run an
entire operating system
such as Windows XP or
Vista and they save space
by not having a physical
keyboard and mouse.
Instead, tablet PC's use
their touchscreen
technology for on-screen
typing; and touch screen
navigation and clicking
rather then using a mouse.
Tablet PC's are often more
expensive then a normal
laptop because of their
touch-screens.
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Netbooks are the newest form of
mini computer. They have been
recently made popular by
incorporation with wireless
companies such as Verizon and
AT&T. A netbook will run an
operating system and all tasks that a
laptop computer perform. The only
feature that is lacking in most
netbooks is no optical drive (DVDBurner). However, you can connect an
external optical drive via the USB
ports on your netbook.
Netbooks save space by using 8"-10"
screen sizes and smaller keyboards.
The majority of netbook
manufacturers claim to have
keyboards about 80% of the size of a
regular keyboard. Netbooks are also
very affordable. You can pick up an
HP netbook for around $300.
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Many current MP3
players offer just about
any feature you could ask
for. Although they do not
offer all of the features
as an actual computer,
they do have built in web
browsing and
applications. Because you
can easily fit an MP3
player into your pocket
or purse, these devices
are the ultimate in mini
computing.
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Cell phones offer many of
the same features as MP3
players with the added
benefit of calling. Better
known as smart phones,
high-end cell phones can
run mobile versions of
operating systems such as
Windows Mobile and iPhone
3.0 Mobile. Also, Blackberry
has their own operating
system that is capable of
many PC tasks as well.
Currently, Google has even
participated, offering
Android software to cell
phone developers.
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Desktops have come a
long way in the past
couple of years.
Manufacturers can now
encompass all
components of a
desktop computer into
a very minimal space.
Some examples of mini
desktop computers are
the Apple Mac Mini and
the HP Studio Hybrid.
These computers often
take up even less
space then a laptop.
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Netbooks are convenient for checking and
responding to email when away from home or in
hotspots such as airports, bookstores and cafes.
Rather than a tiny mobile phone keypad, the
netbook features a full-size QUERTY keyboard
and software that allows for quick and easy
messaging. If you frequently check email in a
hotspot, you may want to consider an internetbased email client such as Yahoo! Mail or Google
Mail for the sake of convenience and to use less
memory on your netbook.
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Most netbooks ship with basic productivity software
including word processing, spreadsheet and
presentation applications. However, these software
programs are limited in what you can do. For
example, you can't write a book using the preinstalled word processing software, but you can write
basic letters and documents. In order to get full
functionality, you must either purchase new
productivity software or enter into the "cloud" with
online productivity applications such as Google
Documents. Hard drive space and RAM memory is
limited as compared to a full-size laptop, so big
programs such as Adobe CS or Microsoft Expression
Web may be very slow to respond.
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One of the most widespread uses for the netbook
is on-the-go web surfing. The user can check the
news, read e-books, check stock reports and
chat away on social networking sites. Watching
videos is also a fun way to pass the time, though
some have reported problems due to the lower
capacity memory installed in the machine and
limitations on memory upgrades. New Wi-Fi
technology has enabled people to surf the web
just about everywhere, even away from hotspots.
The ability to get online fast from any location
makes the ultra-portable netbook a wise choi
PREPARED BY: JOYCE ANN LOPEZ