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No.	Name	Pictures	Description
1	Supercomputer		These systems are built to process huge amounts of data, and the fastest supercomputers can perform more than 1 trillion calculations per second. Some supercomputers--such as the Cray T90 system--can house thousands of processors. This speed and power make supercomputers ideal for handling large and highly complex problems that require extreme calculating power.
2	Mainframe Computer		Mainframe computers are used in large organizations like insurance companies and banks where many people need frequent access to the same data, which is usually organized into one or more huge databases.
3	Minicomputer or Midrange Computer		First released in the 1960s, minicomputers got their name because of their small size compared to other computers of the day. The capabilities of a minicomputer are somewhere between mainframes and personal computers. (For this reason, minicomputers are increasingly being called midrange computers.) Like mainframes, minicomputers can handle much more input and output than personal computers can. Although some "minis" are designed for a single user, most are designed to handle multiple terminals. The most powerful minicomputers can serve the input and output needs of hundreds of users at a time.
4	Dumb Terminal		In a traditional mainframe environment, each user works at a computer terminal. A terminal is a monitor and a keyboard (and sometimes a pointing device, such as a mouse) wired to the mainframe. There are basically two types of terminals used with mainframe systems. A dumb terminal does not have its own CPU or storage devices; these components are housed in the mainframe's system unit and are shared by all users. Each dumb terminal is simply an input/output (I/O) device that functions as a window into a computer located somewhere else. An intelligent terminal, on the other hand, has its own processor and can perform some processing operations. Intelligent terminals, however, do not usually provide any storage.
5	Workstations		Somewhere between multi-user midrange computers and personal computers are workstations. Workstations are specialized; single-user computers with many of the features of a personal computer but with the processing power of a minicomputer. These powerful machines are popular among scientists, engineers, graphic artists, animators, and programmers--users who need a great deal of number-crunching power. Workstations typically use advanced processors and feature more RAM and storage capacity than personal computers.
6	Desktop PC		The terms microcomputer and personal computer are interchangeable, but PC--which stands for personal computer--sometimes has a more specific meaning. In 1981, IBM called its first microcomputer the IBM-PC. Within a few years, many companies were copying the IBM design, creating "clones" or "compatibles" that were meant to function like the original. For this reason, the term PC has come to mean the family of computers that includes IBMs and IBM-compatibles. The vast majority of microcomputers sold today are part of this family. The Apple Macintosh computer, however, is neither an IBM nor a compatible. It is another family of microcomputers made by Apple Computer. Even though it is accurate to say that a Macintosh such as the iMac is a personal computer, some people consider it misleading. This book uses the term PC as a simple abbreviation for personal computer. When discussing Macintosh computers, this course refers to them by name.
7	Notebook or Laptop Computer		Notebook computers, as their name implies, approximate the shape of an 8.5- by 11-inch notebook and can fit inside a briefcase easily. Also called laptop computers, they can operate on alternating (plug-in) current or special batteries. Notebooks are fully functional microcomputers; the people who use them need the power of a full-size PC wherever they go.
8	Network Computer		It is a fact of business computing that multiple employees often need access to the same data at the same time. A good example is a quarterly sales report, which needs to be viewed and updated by several managers in an organization. Without a network that enables file sharing, workers typically keep separate copies of data on different disks, and universally updating the data becomes difficult. As soon as a change is made to the data on one machine, a discrepancy arises and it can be hard to tell which set of data is correct.
9	Handheld PC or PDA		Many H/PCs look like miniature notebook computers, with small displays and keyboards, but are much smaller than even the tiniest full-featured notebook PC. (Some of these systems are not much larger than a checkbook.) This type of H/PC is sometimes called a mini-notebook computer. Most H/PC systems do not provide disks, but memory can be added through PC cards or other means. Software is abundant for these devices, most of which are Internet-capable and can connect to a full-size computer to exchange data.
10	Light Pen		Pen-based systems--including many personal digital assistants and other types of handheld computers--use a "pen" for data input. This pen-like device is sometimes called a stylus. You hold the pen in your hand and write on a special pad or directly on the screen. You can also use the pen as a pointing device, like a mouse, to select commands.