Table of Contents
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Types of Computers - On the basic of size................................................................................. 6
 Introduction
A computer is an electronic device that performs complex
calculations. It is a wonderful product of modern technology.
Nowadays, computers have become a significant part of our
life. Whether it is in the sector of education or health,
computers are used everywhere. Our progress is entirely
dependent on computers powered by the latest technology.
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 Advantages of computers
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Increase your productivity.
Can store massive amounts of information and reduce
waste.
Connects you to the Internet.
Helps sort, organize, and search through information.
Keeps you connected.
Get a better understanding of data.
 Disadvantages of computer
 Virus and hacking attacks: A virus may be a worm and
hacking are just unauthorized access over a computer
for a few illicit purposes. Viruses can go to another
system from email attachments, viewing an infected
website advertisement, through removable devices like
USBs, etc.
 Online
Cyber
Crimes: Online cyber-crime means
computers and networks may have been utilized in order
to commit a crime. Cyberstalking and fraud are the
points that come under online cybercrimes.
 Reduction in employed opportunity: Mainly past
generation hasn’t used the pc or they need the
knowledge of computers they faced an enormous
problem when computers came into the field.
 High Cost: Computers are expensive. Even the foremost
affordable computers are still very expensive for the
typical person in South Africa. Since computers
empower people.
 Distractions/disruptions: If you’ve got ever spent hours
browsing the web or watching videos on YouTube, then
you recognize how distracting computers can be!
Because of their high entertainment value.
 Increases waste and impacts the environment: With the
speed at that computer and other electronics get
replaced, all of the old devices that get thrown away
have a big impact on the environment.
 Health Problems: Prolonged use of computers can lead
to various health Hazards. Too much sitting near the
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screen results in eye strain and drying up of the eyes.
Also, prolonged sitting leads to neck and back problems.
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 Types of Computers - On the basic of size
1. On the basis of size, the computer can be classified into:
1. Micro Computer
2. Mini Computer
3. Mainframe Computer
4. Super computer
5. Workstations
» Micro Computer
Microcomputer is at the lowest end of the computer
range in terms of speed and storage capacity. Its CPU is
a microprocessor. The first microcomputers were built
of 8-bit microprocessor chips. The most common
application of personal computers (PC) is in this
category. The PC supports a number of input and output
devices.
Microcomputers include (a) portable computers and (b)
desktop computers.
(a) Portable Computer
Portable computer is a very small, easy to use
microcomputer. The users can carry it wherever they go.
This group includes personal digital assistant, pen-based
computer, hand-held computer, notebook computer
and laptop computer.
(a) Personal Computer or Desktop Computer
Personal computer is a microprocessor based, single
user computer. The peripherals for personal computer
include a keyboard and a mouse as input devices,
monitor to display information and a hard disk for
storage.
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» Mini Computer
Minicomputer is a medium sized computer that is
costlier and more powerful than a microcomputer. It is
in fact a scaled down version of mainframe computer.
This can support up to a few hundred users at a time
with multi-terminal, time-sharing system. They are
mainly used as departmental computers in large and
medium-sized organisations. They are also used in
government departments, universities and R and D
establishments.
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» Mainframe Computer
The earliest computers were called mainframes due to
their size. The term is still used for the large computers
of today. They have large storage capacities, very high
speed of processing (compared to micros and minis) and
can support a large number of terminals (Many
hundreds to thousands) for use by a variety of users
simultaneously. They are kept in air-conditioned
environment in a special computer room. They are used
by big companies, banks, government departments, etc.
as their main computer.
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» Super computer
It is the fastest and the most expensive computer. This has
extremely large storage capacities and computing speeds
that are at least ten times faster than that of other
computers. It can perform hundreds of millions of
instructions per second. The super computer is used for
specialised applications such as large-scale numerical
problems in scientific and engineering disciplines. These
include applications in electronics, petroleum engineering,
weather forecasting, medicine and nuclear energy research.
» Workstations
Workstation is a powerful computer which in terms of power
is between personal computer and minicomputer. It has high
resolution graphics monitor, large RAM and secondary
storage. Although it is a standalone system, usually it forms
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part of a network and it uses Unix or Windows NT as
operating system. Workstations are used for specialised
applications such as desktop publishing, software
development and engineering designs.
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 Use of computer on day-to-day life.
 Education – Schools and colleges around the world are
using these machines and internet technologies to teach
students digitally and creatively with data visualization.
Uses of the computer in education will explore creativity
and imagination in the mind of students. Drawing tools,
spreadsheet, Audio, and Video lectures and PowerPoint
presentations, etc, are very helpful for students to learn
more deeply and accurately. That created the new
education business model called the smart classroom, and
also digital classrooms.
 Business – With a computer connected to the internet we
can start the business, run the business and manage the
business and we can grow the business by the use of a
computer. Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, Alibaba,
etc. all are the businesses which are created by the use of
computer and internet. We can’t even think daily business
processes around the globe without the uses of computer
technologies. In early days when the very first mechanical
computer machine was invented by Charles Babbage, it was
used only to manage the business system and speed up the
business process accurately. But in this modern world,
everything is controlled and managed by computers.
 Hospitals – Uses of the computer in the hospital provide
many benefits for doctors as well as the patient. Hospitals
can create a database of a patient with their treatment
records, medical records with the help of computers.
Doctors are using computers to diagnose the diseases of
patients very faster and precisely. They are taking help of
various medical software installed in these machines to
study the disease and diagnose of patients. The use of
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computer and its application in hospitals also help to do the
research on the blood test, and urine test, brain testing, and
body scanning, etc.
 Banking – Banks are using computers daily for faster and
accurate customer demands. Banks are using computers for
many reasons from depositing customer money in their
account to calculations. In this case, cashier enters the
account number of customer in their banking application
and firstly confirms the account number and customer
details and then only these applications accept the
payment. This process is very fast and accurate. Banks are
also providing Automated Teller Machines (ATM) to
withdraw and deposit the cash of their customer. Whenever
we deposit or withdraw money, we get messages on our
mobile number that is only possible with the help of
computers. They work 24X7 in the background for all these
services. We can see and print our transaction records
without visiting banks through these machines. Nowadays,
the whole process of the banking sector is done by a
computer.
 Government offices – The government official works take
more time to complete in the past. There was lots of staff
required in the past to manage every kind of work. But
today citizens, consumers are getting a solution with high
speed and accuracy only because of the uses of computer in
official works. There are so many applications and programs
that speed up the process and quality of official works. Such
as Microsoft Office Suite, email applications, video
conferencing tools, etc. are among the few applications that
help to speed up the work of government offices with
accuracy.
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 Home – The uses of computer at home depend on the user.
Some people use a computer to take online classes. Some
people use this machine to do online business. Some people
use it to listen to some songs and to watch some videos and
movies etc. Computers have many other uses at home like
financial calculations also. You can also access banking and
business services from home via the internet with the help
of a computer. You can communicate with people around
the world with the use of the computer.
 Marketing – Use of computer connected to the internet is
creating new ways to do the product and services marketing
online. Digital marketing services, products, websites, and
businesses are growing day by day via the internet.
Businesses can use a computer to type marketing content,
to publish content marketing article on websites as well as
social media. They can sell and market their products and
services on portals like eBay and Amazon. Businesses can
use PPC to get a quick ROI for their marketing budget.
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