Computers: A Technological Revolution To The Modern World

There is one way to define a PC: a general purpose information processing device. "Who invented the computer?" is not a question with a simple answer. The real answer is that many inventors contributed to the history of computers and that a computer is a complex piece of machinery made up of many parts, each of which can be considered a separate invention." (The History of Computers- Mary Bellis) In simpler terms for those whose expertise are lacking in the technical world; a PC can take information from a keyboard, floppy disk, or modem and process it. A computer takes in data, works with the data, and puts out information; also known as input, processing, and output. Every functional computer is made of hardware and software.

Hardware features Software features

- input devices: keyboard and mouse

- CPU and memory

- storage devices: hard drives

- output devices: printers and monitors - system software

- programs (applications)

"We have lots of special-purpose processors in our lives. An MP3 player is a specialized computer for processing MP3 files. It can't do anything else. GPS is a specialized

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computer for handling GPS signals. It can't do anything else. A Game Boy is a specialized computer for handling games, but it can't do anything else. A PC can do it all because it is general-purpose." (How PC's Work- Jeff Tyson).

In 1985 the battle between Macintosh Inc. and Microsoft Corp. began. This may very well be the longest running feud known to the digital age. Apple was on the verge of collapsing, until Steve Jobs came to the rescue and began to prove to the technological world that Apple computers are back and better than ever. Jobs soon exposed the IMac, which is why and how Apple is at the point that it's at to this very day. Macintosh and PC hardware systems are no longer as diverse as they once were said to be. Now, when buying a computer, the distinct and significant differences that both types have aren't as critical in the decision process.

What a person needs to regard is how the potential computer works for them. Buying a computer is about what an individual desires and requires it to do. Macintosh is well-known for it's user-friendly operating system, outstanding multimedia programs, and overall simplicity. Windows PCs are well-known for their wide application base, variety of hardware, and some would argue that PCs have never been at the bottom of the totempole, like their competitor.