Term of the Moment
bare metal
Redirected from: processor unit
Definition: computer
A computer is a general-purpose machine that processes data according to a set of instructions temporarily or permanently stored internally. The computer and all the equipment attached to it are "hardware." The instructions that tell the computer what to do are "software." See 3 C's, data processing and machine language.
Storage/RAM Interaction
RAM and Storage
RAM is a temporary workspace, while storage is permanent and comprises any hard drive, solid state drive (SSD), optical disc or USB drive in the same computer or in another computer in the network. After processing the data internally, the computer can send a copy of the results from RAM back to storage, to a printer or to another computer. The more RAM, the more programs and data the computer can work with quickly, and entry-level computers generally have at least 4GB (four gigabytes) of RAM. The more storage, the more data can be saved. Entry-level computers typically have at least 512GB of disk or 256GB of SSD storage.
Addressable RAM
Storage is read and written in large blocks called "sectors" that hold thousands of bytes. However, it is the RAM that allows one or more bytes to be manipulated independently. This single-byte "addressability" is why data are brought into RAM for processing. See byte addressable, RAM and storage vs. memory.
The UNIVAC I (Frankfurt Germany, 1956)
Here's the Pencil
Better Words: Ordenador and Ordinateur
The interplay between storage and RAM (memory) is how computers, tablets and smartphones work. The program is first written into RAM, and the computer executes its instructions to input, process and output the data. In appliances and sensors, a single program is stored permanently (see non-volatile memory). See stored program concept and 3 C's.
RAM and Storage
RAM is a temporary workspace, while storage is permanent and comprises any hard drive, solid state drive (SSD), optical disc or USB drive in the same computer or in another computer in the network. After processing the data internally, the computer can send a copy of the results from RAM back to storage, to a printer or to another computer. The more RAM, the more programs and data the computer can work with quickly, and entry-level computers generally have at least 4GB (four gigabytes) of RAM. The more storage, the more data can be saved. Entry-level computers typically have at least 512GB of disk or 256GB of SSD storage.
Addressable RAM
Storage is read and written in large blocks called "sectors" that hold thousands of bytes. However, it is the RAM that allows one or more bytes to be manipulated independently. This single-byte "addressability" is why data are brought into RAM for processing. See byte addressable, RAM and storage vs. memory.
Imagine being here and watching one part of a UNIVAC CPU being pushed up the ramp and someone says "you know some day everything you see will be no larger than the tip of a pencil." See UNIVAC I.
In fact, these microcontrollers from Microchip in Arizona, are a whole lot faster than the UNIVAC I. See microcontroller.
In Spain and France, a computer is an "organizer," a less intimidating word than computer. Because the first computers dealt with mathematical tables for missiles, computation was the entire goal. However, starting in the 1950s, computers began doing what they do today: arranging and manipulating data (storing, searching, duplicating, etc.). See computers are copy machines.