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Minicomputers (colloquially, minis) are a class of multi-user computers that lie in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the smallest mainframe computers and the largest single-user systems (microcomputers or personal computers).
Example of a single system computer bus. A system bus is a single computer bus that connects the major components of a computer system, combining the functions of a data bus to carry information, an address bus to determine where it should be sent or read from, and a control bus to determine its operation.
A human computer, with microscope and calculator, 1952. It was not until the mid-20th century that the word acquired its modern definition; according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known use of the word computer was in a different sense, in a 1613 book called The Yong Mans Gleanings by the English writer Richard Brathwait: "I haue [] read the truest computer of Times, and the best ...
Apple II computer. Prior to the widespread use of microprocessors, a computer that could fit on a desk was considered remarkably small; the type of computers most commonly used were minicomputers, which, despite the name, were rather large and were "mini" only compared to the so-called "big iron".
A given instruction set can be implemented in a variety of ways. All ways of implementing a particular instruction set provide the same programming model, and all implementations of that instruction set are able to run the same executables. The various ways of implementing an instruction set give different tradeoffs between cost, performance ...
where Z and POS are locations previously set to contain 0 and a positive integer, respectively; Unconditional branching is assured only if Z initially contains 0 (or a value less than the integer stored in POS). A follow-up instruction is required to clear Z after the branching, assuming that the content of Z must be maintained as 0.
Set the contents of the CPU's registers (including the program counter) into the process control block. [75] Create an entry in the device-status table. [76] The operating system maintains this table to keep track of which processes are waiting for which devices. One field in the table is the memory address of the process control block.
An artist's depiction of a 2000s-era desktop-style personal computer, which includes a metal case with the computing components, a display and a keyboard (mouse not shown). A personal computer, often referred to as a PC or simply computer, is a computer designed for individual use. [1]