Generally refers to a Windows PC or Macintosh, but it can refer to any kind of small computer. When the term was first introduced in the late 1970s, it meant a computer with a single microprocessor chip as its CPU, namely, the personal computer. Today, the CPU in every computer is a microprocessor, and the terms "desktop computer," "laptop computer" and "PC" have mostly replaced microcomputer and personal computer.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- RIP OLPC
- RIP OLPCWintel is a bit - well, 'legacy'Those kids that get XP rather than OSS olpcs will miss out on the rather more interesting experience. Certainly, for learning about computing, XP can hardly be regarded as an honest opportunity.Agree about editing and recompiling software though - it luckily isn't...
- Discussion threads 2008-05-20
- The Gears that could 'augur the death of Microsoft'
- The Gears that could 'augur the death of Microsoft'Well writtenDavid:I think your assessment is on-point and accurate.I am anticipating making significant changes for myself in the next few months to try to live without MS Office 2007/2003 and only use web-based apps. If it works I will be recommending this...
- Discussion threads 2007-06-19
- Gates to finally get his Harvard degree
- Bill Gates will be commencement speaker at Harvard and finally receive his honorary degree from Harvard, IDG reports. Gates arrived at Harvard as a freshman in 1973 and while there got to know Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, who lived just down the hall. Gates had already...
- Blog posts 2007-03-23
- Microsoft faces Office Live lawsuit
- Microsoft faces Office Live lawsuityess die MS dieif they can be sue until the next life great 1.5 billion to lucent a few more to this one ......soon they will face there paybackGoogle Apps steals thunder from MS while MS steals Office Live trademarkMicrosoft is getting attacked from all sides...
- Discussion threads 2007-02-23
- SCO bankruptcy called imminent
- SCO bankruptcy called imminentSo who is represented by Dracula?Is it Microsoft? Or is Abbott & Costello representing Microsoft and Novell, and Linux is Dracula, chasing the bumbling incompetents?Man, you Linux guys are cloudy with your analogies. ;)As far as SCO - good riddance. SCO and its vile leader can...
- Discussion threads 2007-01-09
- NM Museum to open PC history exhibit
- I just read this in today's e-mail newsletter from our local business newspaper: The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is opening a permanent exhibit hall that will highlight the computer revolution in the state where it all started. The exhibit, titled "Startup: Albuquerque and the...
- Blog posts 2006-11-03
- Liveblogging SaaScon: Tim Chou and the end of software
- I'm here in San Francisco at SaaScon, which is the first major conference on Software as a Service since the ASP boom dot-busted back in 2001/2002 (by the way, I'm on the SaaScon advisory board — see disclosure page). The opening keynote is Tim Chou, who led Oracle's...
- Blog posts 2006-09-25
- Amazon.com: IT utility to the enterprise?
- Computing delivered across the wire at the flick of the switch, just as predictably and effortlessly as we already receive electricity, telecoms and water. Ever since computer science academic Martin Greenberger first posited the notion of an 'Information Utility' in a May 1964 article for Atlantic Monthly,...
- Blog posts 2006-08-04
- How big can an open source operation get?
- Infoworld has been asking this question. They posit a "billion dollar limit" to an open source company, with Stephen O'Grady giving the details at his Tecosystems blog. I wonder whether these folks have heard of IBM? But what they're really talking about here are open source...
- Blog posts 2006-08-03
- What about Bill Gates?
- What about Bill Gates?Absolutely - Bill Gates and Microsoft have made a lasting impactInfact if it was left to IBM, the PC would have remained a toy. To them their earnings would come from mainframes selling to businesses.If it was left to Apple they clearly had no idea of what...
- Discussion threads 2006-07-25
- Putting a price on a virtual computer
- Putting a price on a virtual computerThis does present some "interesting" issues.Say I run a few "virtual" windows on my Mac. Now I only have maybe OSX and one Windows window using at anytime and or connected to the web but I do have "others" So MS or...
- Discussion threads 2006-07-17
- Microsoft pitches pay-as-you-go PCs
- Microsoft pitches pay-as-you-go PCsEven then, how would they handle payment? Poor people in developingcountries do NOT have credit cards.I suppose you could sell pre-paid Microsoft cards, just like pre-paid cell phone and long distance cards, but they will get sick of paying everytime they turn on the computer and just...
- Discussion threads 2006-05-21
- My Christmas List: iPod Communicator
- My Christmas List: iPod Communicatorwhat about a more generic iMac NanoI actually have the same kind of wet dreams than you http://www.u-blog.net/syd1980/note/118 But why specializing the Product ? iCommunicator refers to Communication such as Phone refers to Telephony, PSP refers to Console Games and iPod refers to Music Playback.For me,...
- Discussion threads 2005-12-15
- A scarf that changes color
- Here is something you can add to your wish list of gifts, but not for this holiday season. According to a brief article from New Scientist, Japanese researchers from Keio University have made a chameleon scarf which changes color according with what you wear. Put a green jacket, and the...
- Blog posts 2005-12-10
- Why can't Microsoft just patch everything?
- Why can't Microsoft just patch everything?Well saidThe day Microsoft stop screwing consumers is the day I stop boycotting them.SpeechlessI am speechless. Very good article--George Ou :)List deletionYou do realise you're no longer on No-Axe's Christmas card list?Kudos for putting all those unpatched vulnerabilities in one place. That list is...
- Discussion threads 2005-11-28
- Is there method in Microsoft's security buys?
- Is there method in Microsoft's security buys?Is there method in Microsoft's security buys?Is there a method? Thats a simple yes. Microsoft wants to make their software more secure, and it has over the last few years. Every time a patch is put out for a flaw that has...
- Discussion threads 2005-07-22
- Intel expects twins in the second quarter
- Intel expects twins in the second quarterDual ProcessorsForever, PC's have been in the shadow of Mac's, pulling up the rear, and claiming to be number one. When it comes to innovation, PC has lagged behind horribly, resting on their monopoly while a small percentage of the world has always...
- Discussion threads 2005-02-07
- General Ledger III (zip)
- Tired of trying to figure out how to work around "features" in the heavily advertised microcomputer accounting packages? If you have a small professional office and are comfortable with double-entry bookkeeping you can save a lot of time and frustration by using a simple general ledger like General Ledger III...
- Software downloads 2004-09-17
- Canadian bank backs away from SCO
- Canadian bank backs away from SCOSo how many people have to say SCO has no case?For the real non-FUDdish versions, check out groklaw.netBWAAAHAHAHAHA!!!Oh, this is nice... more and more folks realizing that SCO has no case. Nice! Now if we can just arrange a nice 4x6 cell for...
- Discussion threads 2004-05-07
- Urban Environmental Monitoring - ADVA
- AMES develops and manufactures different meteorological sensors, instruments, microcomputer based automatic metering stations and complete computerised measuring systems including radiological probes. The objective of ADVA User Experiment is to demonstrate the best practice use of an embedded TCP/IP communication based system and the adoption of an Open Source Operating System...
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