The Desktop Computer Revolution [aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com]

The Desktop Computer Revolution [aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com]

A look at animation software on the BBC Micro and the 'cutting-edge' 32-bit Amiga. Presented by Fred Harris and Lesley Judd.

aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com BBC Micro Live 1986 - Computer Animation

Desktop computers which are easily accommodated on a desk are micro computers that find usage in both offices and homes. The four kinds of computers that are widely used nowadays are workstations, internet servers, special communications computers and personal or home computers. Desktop computers being relatively cheaper are extensively used in homes, schools, and businesses.

Being usually modular, the components of desktop computers may be substituted or upgraded without much difficulty and various elegant cases and styles are also there for the asking. They are required for multiple tasks such as video editing, internet browsing, office work and digital photography.

The very first desktop computer system was introduced in 1975 by Micro Instrumentation Telemetry System (MITS) 8800. This offer, made numerous other companies interested in the production of personal computers. Tandy Corporation (Radio Shack), came up with their first personal computer in 1977 , with a keyboard and CRT. Apple II and Commodore PET which are now the market leaders also released their first models that very year.

Introduced in 1981, by IBM, the PC marked a turning point in the computer world, as the Intel 8088 microprocessor based device became a thundering success. The new 16 bit microprocessor introduction paved the way for more powerful and faster devices. The fact that IBM PC worked on an operating system that could be incorporated by any other company`s computer as well, made standardization possible. The Apple Mac PC, which ran on Motorola 68000, was another popular 32 bit PC brand that was launched by Apple Inc in 1984.

A contemporary computer would come with CPU, display motherboard, primary storage (RAM), and keyboard, mouse, power supply, optical disc drive, expansion cards and secondary storage (HDD).

There are ports in all the desktop computers, for plugging in various external devices like keyboards, monitors, scanners and printers. The ports can be of many kinds. They may be for power connection, headphone, modem, card reader, PS/2, VGA, universal serial bus, Firewire, ethernet, serial and parallel.

Detailed guidelines are available on the net that one should consult before going in to purchase a desktop. Here are a few points that may work as a checklist to help you make a well informed purchase decision:

Making a choice between an Intel processor and AMD is very difficult indeed. The relative speed and the number of cores in the processor, brings in the main difference in the matter and therefore detailed research on the net is needed in order to make the right decision.At least 1 GB of memory is advisable for the system and the older DDR memory standard is better eschewed. Faster memories are essential for better performance and so future upgrades should be made possible.

Nowadays, it is best to have at least 250 GB or more storage space. Usually, in most drives seria l ATA interface is used for easy installation. It is best to keep a Multi format DVD burner which supports both +R/RW and -R/RW with a 16x recordable speed.

Integrated graphics should suffice for those who are not into 3D graphics. The points which one should pay attention to are the memory capacity and performance of the card, the direct X version which it supports and the output connectors. In order to run games smoothly, a direct x 10 card with 256 MB memory should be a sound choice.

External interfaces are preferred to internal cards now, in order to make upgrades and add peripherals to computers. Make sure that both IEEE 1394 or FireWire points and USB 2.0, are present in a desktop computer.

CRTs monitors have been taken over by LCDs nowadays due to the fact that LCDs are less power consuming and smaller in size. The 4:3 ratio screens have now been taken over by larger display screens and the lowered prices of 20-22 inch models are also encouraging. More The Desktop Computer Revolution Topics

Question by kittykatgirlmeowmeow: What did the micro organims have to do with the computers crashing in the war of the worlds movie? The micro organisms had something to do with the crashing coputers. I need to how and why the crashed the computers. If you have any knoweledge of earth science what so ever then you would be able to answer this question. My science teach said these micro organisms caused the coputers to crash. He wants us to find oout how they caused the computers to crash. A lot of people did not notice the fact that the micro organisms in the begining of the movie caused the computers to crash. Including me. They would not have showed the scene if it had nothing to do with the movie. Best answer for What did the micro organims have to do with the computers crashing in the war of the worlds movie?:

Answer by dell suckz
that movie was so lame

Answer by extton
It had nothing to do with computers. Here's what happened: The aliens, who came from mars, had erradicated disease thousands of years ago on their own planet. So they basically had no immune systems. Thus, when they got to earth, they got infected with the microorganisms here, and died of earthly diseases.

Answer by Polenth
I guess that you're talking about the cars and other devices that stopped working at the beginning, not the aliens dying. This was nothing to do with microorganisms. The aliens caused the strange storm, which sent out an EM pulse. Most electrical items that were turned on at the time would have been fried. This includes computers and car solenoids. This is why replacing the solenoid on the car makes it work, as the spare would not have been connected up to anything when the pulse hit. If it had been microorganisms, all of the spare parts would also have been junk... they would have ended up infected with the microbes too. We know this isn't true, because the car runs just fine. As for why, they did it to cause chaos. Though eventually people could set up backup systems to replace the lost computers, it would be too late to get organised against the threat at that point.

[micro computers]