Overview of computers

Computer systems are components of input, processing, output, storage and data c
ontrol. According to Pierre Levy (quoted in Wikipedia) "The computer is no longe
r a center, but a node, a terminal, a component of calculating universal network
. In a sense, there is only one computer, but it is impossible to draw their bou
ndaries, define their contours. It is a computer whose center is everywhere and
circumference nowhere, a computer hypertext, scattered, live, buzzing, unfinishe
d: cyberspace itself. "
(Source: O'Brien)
Are defined five generations of computers. In the first (50's) we had mainframes
(mainframe, dedicated generally to handle a large volume of information) about
the size of rooms, no network, with circuits made with a valve each, able to pro
cess hundreds of instructions per second, with failures occurring within hours a
nd cost $ 10 per million instructions. In the second generation (60's) mainframe
s were the size of closets, network of video terminals based on the mainframe, c
ircuits of hundreds of transistors, processing millions of instructions per seco
nd, with an interval between failures measured in days and cost $ 1 per million
instructions. The third generation (70's) had the microcomputers
table size, networks with mainframes and minicomputers, thousands of integrated
circuits (also known as Chip, is a microelectronic device consisting of many int
erconnected transistors and other components capable of performing many function
s), millions of instructions per second, weeks between failures and cost of $ 0.
10 per million instructions. The fourth generation (80's and 90's) was composed
of PCs and laptops (notebooks) with LAN (Local Area Network) and client / server
(applications where the client - one that instantiates the application's interf
ace - connects an application server or database system), hundreds of thousands
of circuits (LSI Large Scale Integration), tens of millions of instructions per
second, months between failures and cost of U.S. $ 0.001 per million instruction
s. We are the fifth-generation computer networks of all sizes, Internet, intrane
ts and extranets, millions of VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), billions of i
nstructions per second and a cost of U.S. 0.0001 U.S. dollars per million instru
ctions. Microcomputers are the most important category of computer systems for e
nd users. Are found as handheld computers, laptop and desktop. Are targeted for
household, personal, professional and workstation (or station work technique).
(Source: Wikipedia)
A platform repeatedly discussed is the computer network (CN of
Network Computer) or thin clients. Have a minimum of simple components and a lim
ited set of applications. The typical computer network has software (including O
perating System) supplied by the network, process applications with web interfac
e, is managed by a central point and has no hard drive. The NetPC has its own so
ftware, may not have CD or DVD, have limited expansion and centralized control.
The network terminal does not contain storage devices and processes on servers.
Companies have an interest in such equipment at cost, maintenance and support, e
ase of software distribution and license control, standardization, reduced suppo
rt requirements and control, facility protection, low energy consumption, neglig
ible value to thieves, resistance to environments hostile and low bandwidth netw
ork. Handheld computers (PDA - Personal digital assistants - or handhelds) have
touch screens, handwriting recognition and lend themselves to different uses. Ca
n be used as a tool for information on video game consoles and other equipment c
onnected to the household TV. Is the blooming mobile phone market with PDA funct
ions, smartphones. The most common form of computers today are embedded systems,
microprocessor-based system in which the computer is completely encapsulated by
or dedicated device or system it controls. Computer systems include sophisticat
ed midrange network servers that can manage multi-user computer networks and ter
minals. Can be used as workstations or as an interface front-end mainframes. Aft
er several gloomy pronouncements, mainframes are on the rise. Able to cope with
consolidation and virtualization, suitable for data mining (the process of scann
ing large databases looking for patterns such as association rules, temporal seq
uences,€for classification or group of items) and warehousing (computing system
used to store information regarding the activities of an organization in databas
es in a consolidated form), electronic commerce, are fast and powerful. Working
in large corporations, government agencies, banks, airlines, oil companies and o
thers. Supercomputers are the powerful systems designed for scientific and engin
eering applications that require extremely high speed for massive numerical calc
ulations. Your market is large universities and companies. Their prices are the
order of tens of millions of dollars. They are often confused with cluster, a
type of supercomputer built from the cooperation of several conventional compute
rs.
Curiosity: The execution time of instructions the computer has already been meas
ured in milliseconds (thousandths of a second) and microseconds (millionths of a
second). They are now at a level of nanoseconds (billionth) and now threaten to
reach the picosecond (trillionth). If a person could take a step every nanoseco
nd, the world would give twenty laps in a second.
Input devices have evolved from punched cards and tapes for keyboards, pointing
devices, and optical scanning. It discusses the future with voice recognition, g
estures, touch and handwriting, in addition to the magnetic tracks, smartcards a
nd apparatus of computer vision that will evolve from digital cameras. Among the
mice have pointing devices, trackballs, touchpads and Trackpoints. Technologies
have had only one day output of punched cards and printed reports. Came to view
in video, audio responses and advances in voice response. The video monitor cat
hode ray tube have been replaced by liquid crystal display (LCD - Liquid Crystal
Display). LCD monitors offer flat screens, tire less, spend less energy and emi
t less radiation. Printed outputs have impact printers, inkjet, laser, thermal,
plotters, thermal wax, dye-sublimation, solid ink and sublimation. The storage d
evices are classified as direct access or sequential. The main memory of compute
rs consists of microelectronic memory chip. Its basic types are the memories RAM
(Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory, with variations PROM, EPROM,
EEPROM and Flash). The storage can also be given on magnetic disks and floppy di
sks (in disuse) and rigid. Hard disks can be grouped into RAID (Redundant Array
of Independent Disks). Many RAID devices can be grouped into local networks of h
igh-speed fiber channels that form the storage area networks (SAN
- Storage area network). Other storage devices are magnetic tapes, optical disks
(CD and DVD) and mass memories such as memory cards and USB sticks.
Bibliographic Reference
O'BRIEN, JA Information Systems and management decisions in the Internet age. Tr
anslation Celio Knipel Cid Moreira and Moreira Knipel. Second. ed. São Paulo: Sa
raiva, 2006. 431 p. Wikipedia articles:
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http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuito_integrado http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cli
ente_magro http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliente-Servidor http://pt.wikipedia.org
/ wiki / Computer http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_warehouse http://pt.wikiped
ia.org/wiki/Datamining http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressora http://pt.wikiped
ia .org / wiki / Impressora_de_sublimação http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lcd http:
//pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDA http://pt .wi
kipedia.org / wiki / Sistema_embarcado
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