Personal computer by Taha.
Personal Computer
A personal computer or a PC is an elaborate and commonly used executive computer that is tailored for personal use. This is so because from simple typing to the development of complex applications, these are tasks that can be handled by these devices. The creation, history and growth of PCs cannot be discussed without the understanding of how it revolutionized the world in the arenas of work, communication, and fun. This note aims at covering the historical background of personal computers, the structure of personal computers today, applying personal computers today as well as the future aspect of personal computers.
History:
In the seventeenth century more complex mechanical calculators were commenced. Blaise Pascal invented a calculator in 1642, called the Pascaline that could add and subtract by using gears and wheels. This concept was enhanced a year later by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz when he invented what was called the Stepped Reckoner in 1673; the creation was capable of performing multiplication and division.
However, it was the release of Apple II in 1977 and IBM pc in 1981 that brought tremendous change in the market. The earliest PCs were meant for hobbyist and enthusiasts, but they marked the beginning of the introducing more friendly and inexpensive PCs.
While the Apple Macintosh of 1984 was the first to adopt these features, the IBM PC released in 1981 first defined the basic architecture of hardware and the operating systems that later became the de facto standard for business and home usage. Subsequently, the MS-DOS and subsequently the Windows operating system from Microsoft became standard on PCs and thus remained dominant in this segment.
Window:
A window is another area on the computer terminal display screen in a system that supports multiple screen areas as part of a GUI interface. Windows are conceptualized as being handled by a windows manager as being a constituent of a windowing system.
Types of Windows:
Window is one of the popular operating systems of the word which was developed by the Microsoft Company in mid eighteens. Every Windows generation has come with some additions, better performance and usability. Here's an overview of the major versions and their respective generations: Here's an overview of the major versions and their respective generations:
1. Disk Operating System (DOS) because early Windows versions such as window 1.x and 2.x were primarily built on MS-DOS environment and only provided operating system environment for application programs during 1985-1990.
Windows 1.0 (1985): The first edition of Windows was an operating extension of MS-DOS and feature GUI. It had tiled windows and some applications as Notepad, Calculator, and Paints among others.
Windows 2.0 (1987): Better graphics and windows, on-screen windows could overlap and the support for better mouse and keyboard commands. Introduces applications such as Excel and Word for windows.
2. Windows 3.0 (1990-1994) Some of the enhancements included GUI, memory and performance enhancements. It quickly became very popular and helped to set the stage for Windows to become the choice operating system for many PC users.
Windows 3.1 (1992): True Type font, typeface, video, multimedia, better stability were added by Mac OS version 7. The main new feature in the Windows 3.11 was networking and this made it the best windows version for the business use.
3. Windows 95/ME (1995-2001) A major revamping of the OS with a new Start menu, taskbar, and a 32 bit support feature. Implemented Plug and Play technology for hardware devices for easy installations of the devices.
Windows 98 (1998): To say the least, Lowenbrau offered an upgrade in the supporting hardware, better performance, and additional integration of Internet Explorer. Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) brings more additional features and also fixes for certain issues.
Windows ME (Millennium Edition, 2000): Targeted at the home users with multimedia and Internet capabilities. However, it was provoked for stability and performance problems.
4. Windows NT Line (1993) Targeted more at businesses and such enterprises since they are more well-equipped and securely built. Implemented directions for different hardware configurations.
Windows NT 4. 0 (1996): Integrated the familiar graphical interface of Windows ’95 into what was previously the sterner businesslike NT operating systems line.
5. Windows 2000/XP Introduced as the successor of Windows 95, it was based on Windows NT kernel and was designed for businesses and experienced users providing improved performance, reliability, security and integration with Active Directory.
Windows XP (2001): Fusion of the favorable attributes of both the Windows 95/98 and the Windows NT/2000. It has gained fame due to factors such as easy to use interface, reliability, and speed. It even had various versions namely, Home, Professional, Media Center and so on.
6. Windows Vista/7 (2006) Nero Graphical Interface that has been introduced recently and enhanced security features and new multimedia applications that are available with it. However, it was alleged to have high system requirements and compatibility problems.
Windows 7 (2009): Specialized for boosting performance, usability and conformity. It included new features and consumer-friendly interface for Businesses and home users and was a success being one of the most used Windows versions.
7. Windows 8/8. 1 (2012) Brought and introduced an entirely new Start screen with live tiles especially focusing on the touch devices. The decision to remove the Start menu which acted as a standard in windows operating system also encountered hostility from users.
Windows 8. 1 (2013): Attempted to respond to some of the complains Windows enthusiasts had with Windows 8, including the removal of Start button, and included options to add Boot to the Start screen and rearrange the tiles.
8. Windows 10 (2015) As announced, the project was intended to bring PC, tablet, and other smart manufacture into a single Windows. New elements such as the Start screen with live tiles, Cortland – the OS’s personal assistant, Microsoft Edge – a new browser, and an ongoing development with operating systems conceived under the Wars strategy.
9. Windows 11 (2021) Titled as ‘Windows, modernism, this update will focus on a revival of the Start menu placed in the middle of the taskbar, new performance and security enhancements. It offered the apps for Android through the Microsoft Store along with overall gaming improvements incorporating Direct Storage and Auto HDR.
Hardware of Computer:
The Spine of Present-Day Computing Computer hardware establishes the tangible framework of computing through the execution of software and endowment of resources for numerous applications. All started with large room sized machines, and moved on to complex and compact systems, which the world sees today. Thus, the article under analysis discusses the fundamentals of computer hardware, roles of their components, and significance in the present-day world.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The Central Processing Unit also known as CPU is mostly considered as the brain of any computer. This deals with the overall most processing tasks, and it merely acts in executing instructions set by software programs. CPUs are made up of several tens of millions of small switches known as transistors which are switched on and off to usher in a calculation. Today’s CPUs are highly effective; performance is achieved through multi-core solutions, which enable multiple operations to be performed concurrently. The CPU speed and clock rate therefore plays a very vital role the speed of a computer.
RAM is the temporary memory of a computer or more accurately it is the working memory of a computer. It is a form of local storage that holds data the CPU has requested for a short while as it processes the information. Also, RAM is a temporary storage environment as it is a volatile type of memory; basically, RAM is cleared as soon as the computer is turned off. RAM’s quantity and rate consistently affect a PC’s performance and its capacity to execute multiple applications simultaneously. More RAM provides a capability of managing larger volumes of data and helps computer to run complex soft wares faster.
Storage
Data storage devices are used for storage and retrieval of such data Information storage is therefore the process of archiving data. There are two broad classes of storage: these are hard disk storage and solid-state storage types. The technology in HDD comprises spinning disks and thus provides large storage media at a lower expense. While, in contrast, SSD invoke flash memory to store data, which has high read/write speeds, and data longevity as a result of not using any moving components. Currently, SSD are widely used as their advantages over HDD were combined with the price drop.
The motherboard is the central printed circuit board within a computer into which other printed circuit boards are connected. It accommodates the CPU, RAM, storage equipment as well as many other units serving as a mediator between them. The physical layer of the computer is also connected by the motherboard which also contains the bios (Basic Input/output System) this is a permanent storage device that controls the startup of the computer and also controls other startup settings.
Interfacing devices include the keyboard, mouse, and scanner these are used by the users to interface with the computer. Input devices such as the keyboard and mouse help in feeding information into the computer while output devices like the monitor, printer and Speakers helps in displaying or printing the information fed into the computer. These peripherals are very vital in a computer since they act as the interface between the user and the computer.
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