You should be familiar with the differences among computer systems if
you want to show a potential employer that you have a fundamental knowledge
of computer. Computers come in a variety of sizes and shapes and with
a variety of processing capabilities. The earliest computers were quite large
because of the crude technologies used; as technological improvements were
made in computer components, the overall size of computers began to shrink.
Today, the complete CPU of a computer can be smaller than a postage stamp.
To provide a basis for comparing their capabilities, computers are generally grouped
into four basic categories:
(1) Supercomputers, which are the powerful giant of the computer world;
(2) Mainframe computers, which are large, extremely powerful computers used
by many large companies;
(3) Minicomputers, which are the prospective most powerful;
(4) Microcomputers, which are the least powerful but most likely to be required to use
in business.
It's hard to assign a worthwhile definition to each type of computer because
definitions can get bogged down in potentially confusing technical jargon.
Nevertheless, the following definitions can fuffice:
(1) A supercomputer can handle gigantic amount of scientific computation. It's
usually maintained in a special room or environment, and may be about 50,000
times faster than a microcomputer. As a user in business, you probably would not
have contact with a supercomputer. However, you might if you worked in th area
of defense and weaponry, weather forecasting, scientific research, in one of
several large universities, or for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(2)A mainframe computer is a large computer, usually housed in a controlled environment,
that can support the processing requirements of hundreds and often thousands of users
and computer professionals. If you work for an airline, a bank, a large insurance company,
a large accounting company, a large university, or the Social Security Administration,
you will likely have contact, through your individual workstation, with a mainframe computer.