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PC - personal computer

PC - personal computer

A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or technician. Unlike large costly minicomputer and mainframes, time-sharing by many people at the same time is not used with personal computers.

Institutional or corporate computer owners in the 1960s had to write their own programs to do any useful work with the machines. While personal computer users may develop their own applications, usually these systems run commercial software, free-of-charge software ("freeware"), which is most often proprietary, or free and open-source software, which is provided in "ready-to-run", or binary, form. Software for personal computers is typically developed and distributed independently from the hardware or operating system manufacturers. Many personal computer users no longer need to write their own programs to make any use of a personal computer, although end-user programming is still feasible. This contrasts with mobile systems, where software is often only available through a manufacturer-supported channel, and end-user program development may be discouraged by lack of support by the manufacturer.

Since the early 1990s, Microsoft operating systems and Intel hardware have dominated much of the personal computer market, first with MS-DOS and then with Microsoft Windows. Alternatives to Microsoft's Windows operating systems occupy a minority share of the industry. These include Apple's macOS and free and open-source Unix-like operating systems.

The advent of personal computers and the concurrent Digital Revolution have significantly affected the lives of people in all countries.

"PC" is an initialism for "personal computer". The IBM Personal Computer incorporated the designation in its model name. It is sometimes useful to distinguish personal computers of the "IBM Personal Computer" family from personal computers made by other manufacturers. For example, "PC" is used in contrast with "Mac", an Apple Macintosh computer. Since none of these Apple products were mainframes or time-sharing systems, they were all "personal computers" and not "PC" (brand) computers.

The most popular products in category PC - personal computer All category products

All-in-One PC Lenovo ThinkCentre M Series
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F.A.Q. about PC - personal computer

What types of stationary personal computers exist?

Desktops - refer to the type of stationary PC. From the name it is clear that these are devices that are installed and work on a table and are not transferred during operation. As a rule, representatives of this group are high-performance powerful devices. They consist of a system unit (a rectangular box), to which a monitor, keyboard and mouse are connected.

Servers - this type of computer has its own specific tasks that it performs remotely or locally in place. The vast majority of servers are quite powerful machines. The appearance of the servers is slightly different from the usual PC - they are mounted in metal racks that look like furniture shelves. The racks themselves are placed in a special room (server room), the necessary temperature regime is necessarily maintained in it.

Nettops - refer to the type of stationary PC. The system unit is compact in size, usually with low power consumption and noise. Due to the small size, nettops have lower performance, but they fit perfectly into the home environment and do not occupy expensive office space.

Microcomputers are computers that fit in a miniature enclosure that looks very similar to a flash drive. The microcomputer itself does not have an output device, therefore, through an HDMI connection, it connects to a monitor or TV. Controls, such as a mouse or keyboard, are connected via the built-in USB ports or Bluetooth. Technical specifications depend on the configuration, as with any other PC.

Monoblocks - refer to the type of stationary PC. The system unit and the monitor are a single unit. Accessories and boards are placed in the compartment, which is mounted on the back of the monitor. It has an aesthetic appearance and does not take up much space.

What are the types of portable personal computers?

A laptop computer can also be called portable. They differ from desktop dimensions and weight in a smaller direction and more capacious batteries, which is understandable because you need to carry it with you.

Laptops and netbooks - refer to the type of portable (laptop) PCs, have a battery for offline operation without using a network. The case is made in the form of a clamshell, a screen is installed at the top, and a keyboard at the bottom. Netbooks are smaller than laptops, respectively, have lower performance, although the battery life is longer.

Tablet laptops - refer to the type of portable (laptop) PC. The case consists of a touch screen display - Touchscreen. Their main purpose is surfing the Internet, watching videos, listening to audio, gaming and other applications. The compact dimensions make this group especially popular for travelers. Tablet laptops have a keyboard that either folds up or extends out of a niche under the screen. In tablets, the touchscreen is the input medium. For this group, battery life is important.

Pocket PCs and smartphones - belong to the type of portable (laptop) PC. Distinctive features are a small size and a large reserve of battery life. The input tool is either a touch screen or a retractable keyboard.

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