Types of Computers /Classification of Computers

Computers can be classified into different categories based on the following criteria:
 By the types of data which they can manipulate / process or According to Technology
 By the purpose for which they are design or By functions performed
 On the basis of price, sizes and processing capabilities
 Client - Server
 According to Generations.
a) By the types of data which they can manipulate / process or According to Technology
- Analogue Computers
- Digital Computers
- Hybrid Computers
Analogue Computers:-
- Analogue computer is a form of computer that uses continuous physical phenomena such as
electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the problem being solved.
- They are used to process continuous data and which is not discrete or separate. Such type of
data includes temperature, pressure, speed weight, voltage, depth etc. These quantities are
continuous and having an infinite variety of values e.g. The Speedometer of a car measures
speed, the change of temperature is measured by a Thermometer, the weight is measured by
Weights machine. These computers are ideal in situations where data can be accepted directly
from measuring instrument without having to convert it into numbers or codes.
- Analogue computers are the first computers being developed and provided the basis for the
development of the modern digital computers. Analogue computers are widely used for certain
specialized engineering and scientific applications, for calculation and measurement of analogue
quantities. They are frequently used to control process such as those found in oil refinery where
flow and temperature measurements are important. They are used for example in paper making
and in chemical industry.
- Analogue computers do not require any storage capability because they measure and compare
quantities in a single operation. Output from an analogue computer is generally in the form of
readings on a series of dial (Speedometer of a car) or a graph on strip chart.

Analogue (continuous) signal

Digital Computers:-
- A computer that performs calculations and logical operations with quantities represented as
digits, usually in the binary number system.
- A digital computer can be used to process numeric as well as non-numeric data. It can perform
arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and also logical
operations. Most of the computers available today are digital computers. The most common
examples of digital computers are accounting machines and calculators.
- The results of digital computers are more accurate than the results of analogue computers.
- Analogue computers are faster than digital.
- Analogue computers lack memory whereas digital computers store information. We can say that
digital computers count and analogue computers measures.

Digital (discrete) signals

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 Hybrid Computers:
- These are combination of digital and analogue computers. It combines the best features of
both types of computers, i.e. it has the speed of analogue computer and the memory and
accuracy of digital computer.
- Hybrid computers are used mainly in specialized applications where both kinds of data need
to be processed. Therefore, they help the user, to process both continuous and discrete
data. For example a petrol pump contains a processor that converts fuel flow
measurements into quantity and price values. In hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU), an
analogue device is used which measures patient's blood pressure and temperature etc,
which are then converted and displayed in the form of digits.
- Hybrid computers are also used for scientific calculations, in defense and radar systems.

b) By the purpose for which they are designed or by functions performed

Special Purpose Computers
A special purpose computer is designed to solve a single type of problem. The functions are
uniquely adapted to a particular situation. Therefore, within their designed constraints, they are
extremely fast, efficient and economical. Computerized traffic control system and automatic
aircraft landing systems are examples of special purpose computer systems.
General Purpose Computers
General purpose computers are designed to be flexible and versatile. They are capable of carrying
out some general data processing under program control. They can be used to solve a variety of
problems by changing the program or instructions which govern their operations. A ‘General
Purpose Computer’ therefore refers to computers that follow instructions, thus virtually all
computers from micro to mainframe are general purpose. Even computers in toys, games and
single-function devices follow instructions in their built-in program.
c) On the basis of price, sizes and processing capabilities
- Supercomputers
- Mainframe Computers
- Minicomputers
- Microcomputers
- Portable computers
Supercomputers
Supercomputers are one of the biggest and fastest computers currently available and have extremely
large storage capacity and computing speeds which are many times faster than other computers. A
supercomputer is measured in terms of tens of millions Instructions per second (mips), an operation is
made up of numerous instructions. The supercomputer is mainly used for large scale numerical
problems in scientific and engineering disciplines such as Weather analysis e.g. IBM Deep Blue

Mainframes computers
Computers with large storage capacities and very high speed of processing (compared to mini- or
microcomputers) are known as mainframe computers. They support a large number of terminals for
simultaneous use by a number of users like ATM transactions. They are also used as central host
computers in distributed data processing system e.g. IBM 370, S/390.

Minicomputers
A minicomputer is a medium-sized computer. That is more powerful than a microcomputer. These
computers are usually designed to serve multiple users simultaneously (Parallel Processing). They are
more expensive than microcomputers.

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Microcomputers
 Is the smallest, least expensive of all the computers and designed to be used by one person at a
time i.e. single – user computers.
 They are typically linked together to form a local-area network, although they can also be used
as stand-alone systems.
 Micro computers have smallest memory and less power, are physically smaller and permit fewer
peripherals to be attached.
 Microcomputers are more commonly known as desktop or sometimes workstation.
Portable computers
Portable computers are computers that are designed to be carried around easily, such as in a briefcase
or in a pocket. Under these we have:
- Laptop: This computer is similar to a desktop computers but the size is smaller. They are expensive
than desktop. The weight of laptop is around 3 to 5 kg.

- Notebooks: These computers are as powerful as desktop but size of these computers are
comparatively smaller than laptop and desktop. They weigh 2 to 3 kg. They are more costly than
laptop.

- Palmtop (hand held): They are also called as personal Digital Assistant (PDA). These computers are
small in size. They can be held in hands. It is capable of doing word processing, spreadsheets and
hand writing recognition, game playing, faxing and paging. These computers are not as powerful as
desktop computers e.g.3com palmV.

- Wearable computers: The size of this computer is very small so that it can be worn on the body. It
has smaller processing power. It is used in the field of medicine. For example pace maker to correct the
heart beats. Insulin meter to find the levels of insulin in the blood.

- Tablet Computers: These are notebook sized designed to be used with a digital pen or a stylus. They

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can either be slate tablets or convertible tablets.
- Net books: Also called mini laptops, mini notebooks. They are smaller with about a 10 inch
screen, are lighter and less expensive than common laptops.
d) Client - Server
Client - computer that allows a user to log on to the network and take advantage of the
resources available on the network. The purpose of the client is to get user onto the network;
therefore, client computers don‘t usually have the processing power, the storage space, or the
memory found on a server because the client does not have to serve up resources to other
computers on the network.

Servers are nothing but dedicated computers which are set-up to offer some services to the clients.
They are named depending on the type of service they offer. For example – Computers serving clients
with Database are called Database Servers and Computers serving clients with security modules are
called as Security Servers.

e) According to Generations
(Assignment 1)