Computers are primarily classified into four main categories: microcomputers, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and supercomputers. Microcomputers include various models such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, while minicomputers serve as mid-range solutions for business and educational purposes. Mainframes and supercomputers excel in processing large amounts of data for complex tasks across industries like finance and scientific research.

1. CLASSIFICATION 0F COMPUTERS
Computers are available and vary in their sizes and types. but computers are mainly
classified into four main categories
Table of Contents
● 1) Microcomputers
● 2) Minicomputers
● 3) Mainframe Computer
● 4) Supercomputers
1) Microcomputers
Microcomputers, commonly known as PCs, are very small and cheap. The first
microcomputer was designed by IBM, it was designed in 1981 and was named IBM-PC.
Later, many computer hardware companies copied it and termed their microcomputers as
PC-compatible, which means any PC that is based on the original IBM PC design.

2. Another type of popular PC is designed by Apple. PCs made by IBM and other
PC-compatible computers have a different designing as compared to Apple computers.
Moreover, PCs and PC-compatible computers commonly use the Windows operating
system, while Apple computers use the Macintosh operating system (MacOS). However,
IBM and IBM-compatible PCs are more popular than Apple PC. These microcomputers can
be classified into the following categories:
● Desktop PCs is one of the most popular models of PCs. The desktop PC can be
placed on a desk or table. It is widely used in homes and offices. It has physical
hardware that makes a computer to run and connects to input devices such as
keyboard and mouse users interact with. Desktop PCs are mostly used in enterprise,
as well as in consumer use cases such as gaming. In the enterprise they are
important because they are the main means for many users to do their work.
Desktop PC contains Motherboard, Processor, storage devises etc inside it.
● Laptops are small microcomputers that can easily fit inside a bag. They are very
handy and can easily be carried from one place to another. Hence, laptops are very
useful, especially for going on long journeys. Laptops works on a special battery and
do not always have to be plugged in like desktop computers. The memory and
storage capacity of a laptop is almost equal to that of a desktop computer. As with

3. desktop computers, laptops also have HDDs, floppy disk drives, zip disk drives, etc.
For input, laptops have a built-in keyboard and a trackball/touchpad, which is used
as a pointing device (as a mouse is used for a desktop PC). But laptops have the
same features and processing power and speed as the most powerful PCs.
However, there is a problem that laptops are generally more expensive than desktop
computers. (TERA GHAR JAYEGA ISSME) These computers are very popular
among business travellers
● Netbook PC also known as Handheld Computers, In the mid 1990s a wide range of
small personal computing devices these are commonly known as handheld
computers, Palmtop computers, or Mini-Notebook computers. These computers are
called Netbook computers because they can fit in one hand like book, while users
can use the other hand to operate them. these computers are very small in size, and
hence easy to use
● Tablet PC is same as notebook computer and can be operated with one hand, but it
can be used by input from a Stylus pen or by directly your fingers instead of the
keyboard, mouse. It is a portable computer and user can use it anywhere. Tablet
Computer are the new generation of PCs
● Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) is a handheld device that have features of a
computer, smartphone, and organizer. PDAs were most popular in 1990s and 2000s
before being replaced by smartphones. Personal Digital Assistant are designed to
assist user with organizing and managing their personal and professional lives.
PDAs typically featured a touch screen interface and a stylus pen for input. Some
PDAs also offered wireless connectivity for email and internet browsing. However,
the limited processing power and storage capacity of PDAs made them less capable
than modern smartphones.
● Smartphone are cellular phones that function as a phone and a small PC.
Smartphones can be used by a stylus or a pen or may have a small keyboard. They
can be connected to Internet wirelessly. They are used to access electronic mail,
download music, play Games, etc. Blackberry, Apple, HTC, Nokia and LG are some
of the manufacturers of Smart phones at that time.
2) Minicomputers
As the name means, minicomputers are smaller, cheaper and slower than mainframes. That
why they are called minicomputers because they were the smallest computer of their times.
Also known as midrange computers, the capabilities of minicomputers fall between
mainframe computer and microcomputers.
Mainly computers are widely used in business, education, hospitals, government
organizations, etc. While some minicomputers can be used only by a single user, others are

4. specially designed to handle multiple users simultaneously Usually, single user
minicomputers are used for performing complex design tasks.
As with mainframes, minicomputers can also be used as servers in a networked
environment, and hundreds of PC’s can be connected to it.
The first minicomputer was introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in the mid
1960s.
3) Mainframe Computer
Main-frames were very much significant to the growth of tech. while the smaller “Internet of
Things” which is all about connecting things at a personal level is just one way in which the
cloud is being used; and mainframes remain dominant as the primary back-end systems for
big data processing and storage in such industries as finance, logistics
Therefore a Mainframe computer. Mainframe refers to a super-charged machine
engineered specifically with the capacity to tackle a huge chunk of data at speedy rates.
These were essentially known because their dependability, safety, multi-tasking capabilities.

5. Key feature — Multitasking is supported in mainframes. This enables multiple users to
share the machine at its full power. This particular feature is very useful in businesses
where multiple users have to work on same dataset or perform mathematical/logical
operations at the same time.
The main-frame computers are also known for their powerful processors. They execute
billions of operations in a second thereby enabling the complex calculations to be performed
at lightning speeds. That’s why computers a good option for big data analytics and real-time
computing businesses like finance, health care, telecom, etc.
Mainframe computers have another key benefit, their dependences. Mainframes are known
for their unrivaled uptime as well as their robustness to failure. They’re constructed with
redundant components and internal fail-safes to maintain 24/7 functionality. This
consistency is vital in sectors where downtime could cause severe monetary repercussions
and put safety at risk.
It’s a well-known fact that security is of the utmost importance for mainframes. Protected
with powerful security protocols to keep your info safe from bad guys. Mainframes use the
most advanced encryption techniques and access control mechanisms to ensure data

6. confidentiality and integrity. This capability is particularly crucial for industries such as
banking and government agencies that deal with sensitive information.
Mainframes are also incredibly scalable. They can scale to large data sets and elastically
increase their processing power as required. As data volumes increase, mainframes have
no problem scaling to meet the growing needs without sacrificing performance. This
scalability is vital to growing industries dealing with big-data processing and storage needs.
Powerful and effective, but not without its challenges, mainframes have seen their fair share
of setbacks in the last couple of years. The rise of distributed computing and cloud
technology have many people wondering if mainframes will continue to be relevant amidst
all the latest and greatest. Nevertheless, mainframes still remain key competitors in fields
where they excel.
Conclusion: That mainframes are strong, dependable, and safe (especially when it comes
to working with Big Data) is something the industry agrees upon. Supporting multiple users
simultaneously and offering blazing fast calculations are the main purposes these systems
are built for. Mainframes are most popular in industries that need heavy data analysis,
real-time processing, and high levels of dependability. While new technologies challenge
them, mainframes remain a core element of industries such as banking, where they support
key operations.
4) Supercomputers
also referred to as HPC systems, supercomputers are extremely fast computational devices
specifically created for solving difficult problems and processing big datasets, swiftly. They
continue to be integral resources in industries spanning from scientific exploration and
climate prediction (among the many branches of weather-based science) to space and
astronomy (to say nothing of the field of drug discovery).
Super Computers: They differ from the normal computers in terms of its high-velocity
processing capability (trillion of calculation per second). The architecture behind them is
made of several thousand or even millions of processors operating concurrently for solving
computationally intensive problems.
But where supercomputers really shine is scientific simulations. These machine models
cover the spectrum from climate change, through protein folding to thermonuclear
explosions. Scientists analyze simulcasts in supercomputers as they discover more about
these effects, giving insightful proposals to governments or simply deepening our
understanding of the universe.

7. It’s another domain which is a weather prediction with the strongest supercomputers. By
analyzing very large amounts of data given by weather stations, satellite feeds, and
additional sources, supercomputers offer extremely precise and accurate weather forecasts.
Such forecasts are critical for emergency services, preparedness as well as agricultural
forecasting and furthermore for maritime traffic and aviation safety. Supercomputers are
also utilized in aerospace engineering to simulate airplanes and Rockets. Designs and
configurations are tested in simulation models for fuel optimization and structural integrity
testing. These simulations reduce costs in terms of time and money since real prototyping is
costly to design and test.
Supercomputers are revolutionizing medical fields too. With such processing capabilities,
they have the ability to process large volumes of genomic data to understand the genetic
basis of diseases and develop patient centric treatment plans. Beyond, High-Performance
Computing is leveraged in Drug Discovery to simulate the interactions between putative
drug candidates with target molecules in order to speed up development of new cures.
While supercomputers have remarkable abilities of their own, they still have a few
obstacles to surmount. The challenge lies mostly in energy use. Super computing requires
high-electric power usage, and making these systems energy-efficient is a critical goal
(Burton, 2018). Additionally, they are expensive in terms of building and maintenance, which
restricts them to just those with deep pockets.

8. Moving ahead, exascale supercomputers — machines capable of one quintillion
calculations per 2d — or even higher ranges of computing power are being advanced.
These structures will permit ever more sophisticated simulations and data analysis,
developing new avenues for exploration inside areas of interest including AI, quantum
computing, and drug-discovery.
So, in precis, supercomputers are splendid pieces of hardware that have transformed
clinical and technological progress. It’s this first-rate computational horsepower that shall we
us clear up troubles we couldn’t earlier than, make predictions greater correctly, and move
breakthroughs more quickly ahead. As technologies evolve, they’ll keep pushing our
obstacles of feasibilities into a by no means visible global of computational prowess in
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