mainframe 1950-1960
Mainframes are large, powerful computers that can carry out many different tasks for many different people at the same time.
They are slower than a supercomputer but they are far less expensive. They may cost around 4 million pounds to purchase.
They are slower than a supercomputer but they are far less expensive. They may cost around 4 million pounds to purchase.
Mainframes can execute billions of instructions per second and can process large amounts of data simultaneously. They are usually connected to a large number of peripherals e.g. printers, terminals, disk drives etc.
They are used by large companies such as:
-utility companies e.g. gas and electricity suppliers to calculate customer bills
-banks for managing thousands of customers accounts each day
-insurance companies for keeping track of policies and claims
-airlines for dealing with bookings, tickets, cancellations etc.
-police for storing and processing all of the data collected each day about crimes
PCs can carry out millions of calculations per second and can store large amounts of data - typically anything from 120GB to 1TB. Personal computers tend to be set up and left in one place, they are not intended to be mobile or carried around with you.
they are useful for lots of different types of tasks:
running office applications such as word processors, spread sheets and databases
for CAD design such as designing kitchens
editing videos
creating and playing music
accessing the internet for research, work and entertainment