Personal Computer or Computer Systems?
Three computers eras
Computers have changed our lives dramatically over the last decade. The personal computer has given us new ways to work and enjoy. For most of us they have opened a window to the world. Now we are encountering a computer or its main parts such as a processor or monitor everywhere: from toys to cars, from laundry to vendor machines. Historically we have had two eras of development and usage of computers: first is an era of mainframe computers, when one computer served many users, second is the era of personal computers, when one computer serves one user. At present, this era is finishing, because personal computers transfer more in personal terminals. Let imagine a typical family, where each member has a personal computer (for example, father has a laptop for business and for home, mother has a desktop for using the INTERNET and managing household finance, a child uses his computer for training and gaming. The family has two common printers, one bubble-jet and one photo-printer, and one common scanner. All computers are united in a Local Area Network (LAN). What is it? Three personal computers or something other? Answer is: they do not have absolute personal computers, because everybody is using shared peripherals. In principle, they can also share any information from each computer. It is obvious that this family has a computer system. Therefore, in a manner similar to this family many users operate many computers with functional sharing between them. In fact, today any personal computer is a device, connected with other devices -computers, peripherals, servers, security systems and so on. However, it is impossible to imagine our lives without the INTERNET, or any company - without LAN and INTERNET (WAN). If currently more than 80% of households have a computer, in the nearest future these same households will likely have a need for such local networks, connected to one or many huge networks, for example the INTERNET. We can name this third computer era as the Era of Computer Systems. It is difficult to say how long mankind will live in this era:10, 50 or 100 years. However, we can predict that the next era will be the era of ubiquitous automation with bio and non-bio robotics.
Achievements of computer systems
The perfection of computer systems is approaching such a level of sophistication, that users can employ a computer as a very accurate personal assistant , that can receive the different types of commands either automatically either via program, or by voice or on the end of a pen; execute it, and sometimes demonstrate the results. For these goals, the computer system can use for example, the voice recognition input systems, sign recognition system, analyzing and solving software, databases, output systems such as embedded microphones and speakers, virtual reality, and so on. Practically, the entire universe of relevant human knowledge could be accessible via computer systems. The World Wide computer linkage and hardware progress accelerate the search of serious decisions in the solution of important science or human problems to minutes.
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