Mainframe Computers
Well, these are very huge computers. It is interesting how the word
‘mainframe’ came into use. In fact, because the different units of
computer were installed in a frame, it started to be called a computer
in main frame and today a class of computers are called Mainframe
computers.Mainframe computers are very powerful computers with large memory and processing capabilities. It can support hundreds of users simultaneously.
Mini Computers
Mini computers
are medium sized computers – much larger than the personal computers we
are using and smaller compared to the mainframe computers. These
computers can support multiple users simultaneously and is less powerful
than mainframe computers. A Minicomputer was typically a stand alone device that was ideal for
use by small and mid-sized businesses who needed more power and memory
than could be obtained with microcomputers, but did not have a need for
the resources provided by mainframes. More recently, a minicomputer is
thought of in terms of being a server that is part of a larger network.
Micro Computers
A class of computers that use microprocessor as their central processing unit and are the smallest of the types are the micro computers.
Microcomputers are often called personal computers (PCs) because they
are intended to be used by a single person at a time. While mainframe
and mini computers can support multiple users simultaneously, it can
support only one user at a time.
Micro computers can further be classified into desktop computers
(that can fit within the top of a desk), laptops (portable computers
that can be operated on your lap) and palmtops (hand held computers).
Super Computers
Super Computers
are the fastest type of computer. Supercomputers are very expensive and
are employed for specialized applications that require immense amounts
of mathematical calculations. For example, weather forecasting requires a
supercomputer. Other uses of supercomputers include animated graphics,
fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research, and petroleum
exploration.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.
Latest version of operating system
- Acorn
Computers
- ARX
- Arthur
RISC OS- MOS
- Panos
- RISC iX
Amiga Inc.
- AmigaOS
- AmigaOS 1.0-3.9 (Motorola 68000)
- AmigaOS 4 (PowerPC)
- Amiga Unix (aka Amix)
Apple Inc.
- Apple DOS
- UCSD Pascal
- ProDOS
- GS/OS
IBM
- BOS/360 (Basic Operating System)
- MTS (Michigan Terminal System for IBM System/360)
RTOS/360 (IBM's Real Time Operating System, ran on 5 NASA custom
System/360-75s)- TOS/360 (Tape Operating System)
- TSS/360 (IBM's Time Sharing System)
- MUSIC/SP (developed by McGill University for IBM System/370)
- ORVYL and WYLBUR (developed by Stanford University for IBM System/360)
Hewlett-Packard
- HP Multi-Programming Executive; (MPE, MPE/XL, and MPE/iX) runs on HP 3000 and
HP e3000 mini-computers.
- HP-UX; runs on HP9000 and Itanium servers - from
small to mainframe-class computers.
Honeywell
Intel Corporation
- iRMX; real-time operating system originally created to support the
Intel 8080 and 8086 processor families in embedded applications.
ISIS-II; "Intel Systems Implementation
Supervisor" was THE environment for development of software within the
Intel microprocessor family in the early 1980s on their Intellec Microcomputer
Development System and clones. ISIS-II worked with 8 inch floppy disks and
had an editor, cross-assemblers, a linker, an object locator, debugger,
compilers for PLM (PL/I for microprocessors of the 8080/86 family), a BASIC
interpreter, etc. and allowed file management through a console.
Microsoft
- Windows Vista (Windows NT 6.0) January 31, 2007
- Windows Azure (based on Windows Vista) 2009
- Windows Home Server (based on Windows Server 2003) February 28, 2008
- Windows Server 2008 (based on Windows Vista) February 28, 2008
- Windows 7 (Windows NT 6.1) October 22, 2009
- Windows Server 2008 R2 (based on Windows 7) October 22, 2009
- Windows Home Server 2011 (based on Windows Server 2008 R2) April 6, 2011
- Windows 8 Consumer
Preview (First
downloadable release) March 1, 2012
- Windows 8 Server Beta (First downloadable release) March 15, 2012
- Windows CE (OS for handhelds, embedded devices, and
real-time applications that is similar to other versions of Windows) May 30,
2002
- Windows CE 3.0 December 25, 2002
- Windows CE 5.0 February 27, 2004
- Windows CE 6.0 May 5, 2004
- Windows Mobile (based on Windows CE, but for a smaller form
factor) April 14, 2005
- Windows Phone October 21, 2010
- Singularity - A research operating system written mostly in managed code (C#) November 30, 2009
- Midori - A managed code operating system July 21, 2010
Model: Inspiron N5110
