Mainframes and Personal Computers - 808 Words

Compare and Contrast Mainframes and Personal Computers Overview Mainframes and personal computers have evolved over the years but their core functions have stayed the same. The mainframe is used connect multiple users for large organizations while personal computers are generally used for a single users. The more drastic changes for mainframes and personal computers have been speed and size. Mainframes use to be the size of buildings. Now they are the size of a textbook. Personal computer s origins came from the dumb terminal. The dumb terminal was used just to access the mainframe. Then, the idea came to off load some of the processing from the mainframe and place it on your desktop. Compare The hardware is very similar†¦show more content†¦Extra security and stability is needed. Resetting a mainframe should not happen as often as a personal computer. This is because a mainframe will affect hundreds to thousands of users. The mainframe supports many users. Multiple processors are needed to handle the extra load that mainframes receive. Multiple processors are the standard for mainframes while it is only an option for personal computers. This helps the mainframe s stability because a backup processor can be used in case of a failure. This is also what makes the operating system more complex then the personal computer. Stability is expected for the mainframe more than a personal computer. The mainframe is also expected to run 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This is why stability is so important with the mainframe. The mainframe does not stop working when everyone goes home. The cost of the mainframe encourages the users to use it as much as possible. Conclusion Mainframes and Personal computers were drastically different when they were first introduced. The mainframe took up buildings and the personal computer was only an interface to a mainframe. Today, their similarities are growing. Eventually we will not be able to tell the difference. Has cost comes down for mainframes they to will become personal computers or an add-on to a personal computer for the price of a hard drive today. Back in the day, mainframes were huge so I will conclude by saying it must be aShow MoreRelatedA Critical Thinking Assignment 2 : Supercomputers, Mainframe Computers, And Personal Computers1237 Words   |  5 Pages Critical Thinking Assignment 2: Supercomputers, Mainframe Computers, and Personal Computers Nabeel Janjua Info-300-001 Virginia Commonwealth University Abstract: There are many different types and forms of computers. What we see as a fast computer for our personal use is actually nothing compared to computers used by companies to perform vast amount of data gathering and computation. 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