Microcomputers (Personal computers)

Microcomputers are the most common type of computers in existence today, whether at
work in school or on the desk at home. The term "microcomputer" was introduced with
the advent of single chip microprocessors. The term "microcomputer" itself, is now
practically an anachronism.
These computers include:

Desktop computers

Desktop means exactly that: a machine that

is designed to sit on or under your desk.Desktop
computers can be very convenient in business or at
home, and they are by far the best selling type of
PCs in the world today.

Laptop and notebook computers

Usually these are very powerful little boxes

no bigger than a small briefcase. Now it is difficult
to say what is better: a portable or a stationary
computer. Comparison of both types demonstrates
that by functionality, the stationary and the portable
computers have approximately the same useful
scores.

Tablet PC
Tablet PC is a new step of development
of portable computers.You can switch
screen from a horizontal view to a vertical
one, hold the tablet PC on your lap while
you write notes on the screen or peck out
words on its virtual keyboard with a
digital pen.

Palmtop computers

A small computer that literally fits in your palm.

Compared to full-size computers, palmtops are
severely limited, but they are practical for certain
functions such as phone books and calendars.
Palmtops that use a pen rather than a keyboard for
input

Personal digital assistants(PDA)

Programmable calculator

These are very small computers with

Programmable calculators allow the user to

limited functionality. The general function of such

computers is organizing.These devices sometimes
are named "handhelds". There is also a lot of
entertainment value in the PDA. You can find
many games to please any taste, and. use software
to carry your pictures, listen to music, watch a
movie.

write and store programs in the calculator in order to

solve difficult problems or automate an elaborate
procedure.

Minicomputers (Midrange computers)

A minicomputer (colloquially, mini) is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the
middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems
(mainframe computers) and the smallest single-user systems (microcomputers or personal
computers). The contemporary term for this class of system is midrange computer, such
as the higher-end SPARC, POWER and Itanium -based systems from Sun Microsystems,
IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

Mainframe Computers

The term mainframe computer was created to distinguish the traditional, large,
institutional computer intended to service multiple users from the smaller, single user
machines. These computers are capable of handling and processing very large amounts of
data quickly. Mainframe computers are used in large institutions such as government,
banks and large corporations. These institutions were early adopters of computer use,
long before personal computers were available to individuals. "Mainframe" often refers
to computers compatible with the computer architectures established in the 1960s. Thus,
the origin of the architecture also affects the classification,not just processing power. The
chief difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that a supercomputer
channels all its power into executing a few programs as fast as possible, whereas a
mainframe uses its power to execute many programs concurrently.

Classes by function
Servers
Server usually refer to a computer that is dedicated to providing a service. For example, a
computer dedicated to a database may be called a "database server". "File servers"
manage a large collection of computer files. "Web servers" process web pages and web
applications. Many smaller servers are actually personal computers that have been
dedicated to providing services for other computers.

Workstation

Workstations are computers that are intended to serve one user and may contain special
hardware enhancements not found on a personal computer.

Embedded computers
Embedded computers are computers that are a part of a machine or device. Embedded
computers generally execute a program that is stored in non-volatile memory and is only
intended to operate a specific machine or device. Embedded computers are very common.
Embedded computers are typically required to operate continuously without being reset
or rebooted, and once employed in their task the software usually cannot be modified. An
automobile may contain a number of embedded computers; however, a washing machine
and a DVD player would contain only one. The central processing units (CPUs) used in
embedded computers are often sufficient only for the computational requirements of the
specific application and may be slower and less expensive than CPUs found in a personal
computer.

Supercomputer
A supercomputer is focused on performing tasks involving intense numerical calculations
such as weather forecasting, simulations or complex computations. The distinction
between supercomputers and mainframes can be difficult to define at times.
Supercomputers tend to focus on floating point performance. Mainframes, while
providing a lot of processing power, focus more on data throughput and reliability,
availability and serviceability (RAS), and generally perform many data handling
operations involving minor computations.