Personal computer
hideA personal computer (PC) is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator.
A personal computer may be a desktop computer, a laptop computer or a tablet computer. The most common current operating systems for personal computers are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, while the most common microprocessors are x86-compatible CPUs, ARM architecture CPUs and PowerPC CPUs. Software applications for personal computers include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, games, and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software. Modern personal computers often have high-speed or dial-up connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources.
A PC may be used at home, or may be found in an office, often connected to a local area network (LAN). This is in contrast to the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed large expensive systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time, or large data processing systems which required a full-time staff to operate efficiently.
While early PC owners usually had to write their own programs to do anything useful with the machines, today's users have access to a wide range of commercial and non-commercial software which is provided in ready-to-run form. Since the 1980s, Microsoft and Intel have been dominating much of the personal computer market with the Wintel platform.
For more information about Personal computer, read the full article at
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This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with personal computer
A glimpse at Intel's futuristic gadgets
Jul 01, 2009 |
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Wouldn't it be useful to have a gadget that immediately warned you when the information you just saw on the Internet or heard from a buddy might be baloney?
Semiconductor revenue to fall 11 percent: Gartner
Nov 16, 2009 |
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Worldwide semiconductor revenue is expected to decline by more than 11 percent in 2009 over last year, less than previously forecast, market research firm Gartner said Monday.
PCs shed pounds and CD drives, gain touch screens
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Nov 01, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Personal computers are changing - and not just because of the recent launch of Windows 7. Visit an electronics store and you might also find laptops are missing a familiar component. You could experiment ...
IBM sees better profit despite tech sales slump
Oct 15, 2009 |
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(AP) -- IBM Corp. is a rare example of a company that has kept boosting profit and jacking up its guidance even as the recession has sapped its sales.
Google to launch platform for selling books online
Oct 15, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Google Inc. is launching a new online service that will let readers buy electronic versions of books and read them on such gadgets as cell phones, laptops and possibly e-book devices.
A new language could improve home computer security
Technology / Computer Sciences
Sep 18, 2009 |
3 / 5 (4) |
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Korean computer scientists have developed a security policy specification for home networks that could make us more secure from cyber attack in our homes. They report details in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ub ...
Wikipedia launches iPhone application
Aug 20, 2009 |
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Wikipedia said it has released an iPhone application as part of a drive to open the pages of its revered online encyclopedia to the booming ranks of smart phone users.
'Rich interaction' may make computers a partner, not a product
Technology / Computer Sciences
Aug 19, 2009 |
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In the movie "2010," while trying to salvage the mission to Jupiter, the Hal 9000 computer noted, "I enjoy working with human beings, and have stimulating relationships with them."
'Virtual' computers span the digital divide
Aug 06, 2009 |
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NComputing is out to span the digital divide with a version of cloud computing called "virtualization," which essentially turns one machine into many.
Windows 7 on the way: What should you do?
Jul 29, 2009 |
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Now that Microsoft has finished Windows 7, computer users may be wondering what to do next.
Microsoft moving Office online in duel with Google
Jul 13, 2009 |
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Microsoft on Monday said that the 2010 version of its popular Office software will feature online collaboration as the technology giant duels "in the cloud" with Internet titan Google.
Tech 101: How a denial-of-service attack works
Jul 08, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Investigators are piecing together details about one of the most aggressive computer attacks in recent memory - a powerful "denial-of-service" assault that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean ...
FTC shuts allegedly rogue Internet provider
Jun 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The federal government has severed the Internet connection of a company accused of helping criminals serve up a "witches' brew" of nasty content online, from computer viruses to child pornography.
HP profits lower, to cut nearly 6,400 workers
May 19, 2009 |
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US computer giant Hewlett-Packard reported a 17-percent fall in quarterly net profit on Tuesday and said it plans to cut two percent of its workforce, or nearly 6,400 workers, over the next year.
Scribd turns page from document sharing to selling
May 18, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Hoping to do for the written word what iTunes did for music, the online document-sharing service Scribd is opening an Internet store that will offer new sales opportunities for authors and publishers, ...
