The Wonder that is a Desktop PC

“Personal” computers (PCs), as the name suggests, are digital machines meant for the exclusive use of a single individual at a time. These were invented by IBM in late seventies and were instantly popular with the masses. Later, another famous PC maker, Apple Computer, stepped into the fray. The computing world has not looked back since.

PCs comprise of four main hardware components: an input device (keyboards, mouse), an output device (monitor), a processing unit (microprocessor) and a storage device (hard disk, floppy disks, optical disks, Flash drives). They use the binary method for processing and storing digital data.

But all this hardware put together creates a dumb machine that needs someone to give it instructions as to what to do. This need is fulfilled by the operating system which harnesses the power of the processor to execute a number of tasks. The most popular operating system today for PCs based on IBM architecture is Windows, developed by Microsoft. Apple computer uses its own proprietary operating system.

The operating system is by itself of little use to the computer users. It needs specialised software that can execute many different tasks such as browsing the Net, sending emails, writing letters, preparing accounts, creating drawings and so on. A large number of such software applications have been developed for the PC and its networking with other computers. The PCs can now also be controlled and accessed from remote locations. This capability opens up immense potential for their use.

The world is increasingly turning digital. The TV telecasts have changed from analog to digital format, the art of photography has moved from film- and negative-based images to electronic sensors, and how we correspond with each other through mails has been revolutionised with the arrival of emails. Search engines such as Google and Yahoo! which can hunt for any kind of content from millions of websites have made online research easy and readily available at the click of a mouse.

Despite their revolutionary effects on how we work and play, computers have a flip side to them as well. People of all ages are today spending a great deal of time sitting in front of computers. Health experts worry how the long hours spent staring at a monitor and banging on the keyboard may be affecting our health, especially of children who no longer prefer going outside to play.

Security is another concern associated with computers connected to the Internet. The access it offers to all kinds of websites becomes a cause for concern in terms of regulating the content viewed by children. Often, the kids end up watching stuff inappropriate for their age. Many schools and academic institutions are now taking steps to monitor online content by fire-walling their networks against websites considered unsuitable.

Viruses and hacking of computers connected to the Internet are other nuisances of digital life. Computers worldwide have become interconnected through the Net. The websites are today used for socializing, leisure, doing research and conducting official business such as online banking and e-commerce transactions.

When one surfs the Internet, sensitive information about the user is flashed across the server that can be stolen by anti-social geeks. Also, many websites carry the danger of viruses, Trojans and worms which if downloaded onto your computer may corrupt the stored data and even reformat your precious hard disk as you watch in horror. Thankfully, a variety of robust firewalls and anti-virus software that scan all files for infection before they are allowed to be downloaded are helping control this serious menace.

Besides computer security, connectivity between PCs for transmitting data to each other has also improved tremendously. Today, we are living in the age of information explosion where data residing anywhere in the world is available to us in the blink of an eye. The world has moved on from peer-to-peer networks to LAN, WAN, infrared wireless, Bluetooth and 3G technologies.

Computers have truly revolutionised the way we conduct ourselves for work and leisure. Driven by powerful processors and custom software, they help us do tasks that were unthinkable in the mechanical age. Many new-age industries such as bio-technology, space exploration and nano-technology would simply be impossible without digital technology. Information technology, particularly the PC, has really been a boon to us human

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