Understand what a personal computer is

Desktop Personal Computers (PCs)
Desktop
  • As we mentioned earlier, the PC is the most common type of computer used not only for commercial but also for personal use — hence the term 'Personal Computer'.
  • Usually, only one user accesses a PC at any one time. The user sits in front of the PC and works with it directly rather than connecting to it using another computer or a dumb terminal.

  • Because a PC only has to serve one user at a time, it requires far less processing power and storage capacity than either a mainframe or a minicomputer. This, in turn, means a PC is far less expensive.

  • All PCs have a similar basic structure but are produced by a large number of manufacturers with different specifications and components.

  • In the late 80s and early 90s many PCs were known as IBM compatible PCs. This was because when PCs were first produced they were not all able to use the same software formats. Now nearly all PCs are compatible with the IBM standard and the term is less commonly used.

  • PCs are often used as intelligent terminals to connect to a mainframe or a minicomputer. The advantage of this over using dumb terminals is that users can process and store some information locally, so that the burden on the central computer is reduced.

  • The main reason why the PC is so popular is that it is a versatile tool that can be used for a wide range of applications.