The Different Types of Computers

There are a lot of terms used to describe computers. Most of these terms imply the size, expected use or capability of the computer. While the term computer can apply to virtually any device that has a microprocessor in it, most people think of a computer as a device that receives input from the user through a mouse or keyboard, processes it in some fashion and displays the result on a screen.

Desktop. A PC that is not designed for portability. The expectation with desktop systems are that you will set the computer up in a permanent location. Most desktops offer more power, storage and versatility for less cost than portable computers.

Nettop. A low-power desktop computer, designed for surfing the Internet.

Laptop. Also called notebooks, laptops are portable computers that integrate the display, keyboard, a pointing device, processor, memory and hard drive all in a battery-operated package slightly larger than an average hardcover book.

Netbook. A low-power laptop, designed for surfing the Internet.

Palmtop. More commonly known as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), palmtops are

tightly integrated computers that often use flash memory instead of a hard drive for storage. These computers usually do not have keyboards but rely on touchscreen technology for user input. Palmtops are very lightweight with a reasonable battery life. A slightly larger and heavier version of the palmtop is the handheld computer.

Tablet PC. In general, a tablet PC is a wireless personal computer (PC) that allows a user to take notes using natural handwriting with a stylus or digital pen on a touch screen. The handwriting is digitized and can be converted to standard text through handwriting recognition, or it can remain as handwritten text. Tablet PCs also typically have a keyboard and/or a mouse for input.

A digitizer is laid under or over an LCD screen to create an electromagnetic field that can capture the movement of a special-purpose pen, or stylus, and record the movement on the LCD screen.

Workstation. A desktop computer that has a more powerful processor, additional memory and enhanced capabilities for performing a special group of task, such as 3D Graphics or game development.

Terminal. A visual display unit where data may be input to or output from a data communications system.

Server. A computer that has been optimized to provide services to other computers over a network. Servers usually have powerful processors, lots of memory and large hard drives.

Mainframe. In the early days of computing, mainframes were huge computers that could fill an entire room or even a whole floor. As the size of computers has diminished while the power has increased, the term mainframe has fallen out of use in favor of enterprise server. You'll still hear the term used, particularly in large companies to describe the huge machines processing millions of transactions every day.

Minicomputer. Another term rarely used anymore, minicomputers fall in between microcomputers (PCs) and mainframes (enterprise servers). Minicomputers are normally referred to as mid-range servers now.

Supercomputer. This type of computer usually costs hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Although some supercomputers are single computer systems, most are comprised of multiple high performance computers working in parallel as a single system. The best known supercomputers are built by Cray Supercomputers.

Wearable. The latest trend in computing is wearable computers. Essentially, common computer applications (e-mail, database, multimedia, calendar/scheduler) are integrated into watches, cell phones, visors and even clothing!