Laptop ... As portable computers became smaller, lighter, cheaper, more powerful and as screens became larger and of better quality, laptops became very widely used for all sorts of purposes, by all sorts of people...
Internet Protocol Suite ... The Internet protocol suite has four abstraction layers, each with its own protocols. From lowest to highest, the layers are: The link layer contains communication technologies for a local network...
Computer ... Conventionally a computer consists of some form of memory, at least one element that carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control unit that can change the order of operations based on the information that is stored. Peripheral devices allow information to be entered from an external source, and allow the results of operations to be sent out...
Netbook ... More recently, Psion's now-discontinued netBook line, the OLPC XO-1 (initially called US$100 laptop) and the Palm Foleo were all small, portable, network-enabled computers...
Computer Programming ... There is an ongoing debate on the extent to which the writing of programs is an art, a craft or an engineering discipline. In general, good programming is considered to be the measured application of all three, with the goal of producing an efficient and evolvable software solution (the criteria for "efficient" and "evolvable" vary considerably)...
History Of Laptops ... Compaq SLT/286 By the end of the 1980s, laptop computers were becoming popular among business people...
History Of The World Wide Web ... The hypertext portion of the Web in particular has an intricate intellectual history; notable influences and precursors include Vannevar Bush's Memex, IBM's Generalized Markup Language, and Ted Nelson's Project Xanadu. The concept of a home-based global information system goes at least as far back as "A Logic Named Joe", a 1946 short story by Murray Leinster, in which computer terminals, called "logics," were in every home...
Wi-Fi ... A device that can use Wi-Fi (such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, tablet, or digital audio player) can connect to a network resource such as the Internet via a wireless network access point. Such an access point (or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters (65 feet) indoors and a greater range outdoors...
CPU Design ... CPUs designed for lower performance markets might lessen the implementation burden by: Acquiring some of these items by purchasing them as intellectual property Use control logic implementation techniques (logic synthesis using CAD tools) to implement the other components - datapaths, register files, clocks Common logic styles used in CPU design include: Unstructured random logic Finite-state machines Microprogramming (common from 1965 to 1985) Programmable logic array (common in the 1980s, no longer common) Device types used to implement the logic include: Transistor-transistor logic Small Scale Integration logic chips - no longer used for CPUs Programmable Array Logic and Programmable logic devices - no longer used for CPUs Emitter-coupled logic (ECL) gate arrays - no longer common CMOS gate arrays - no longer used for CPUs CMOS ASICs - what's commonly used today, they're so common that the term ASIC is not used for CPUs Field-programmable gate ar...
Subnotebook ... These computers are often confused with the "ultra-mobile PC" category, which is the name of a platform of small form-factor tablet PCs...
Mobile Broadband ... The GSM Association of telecommunication manufacturers, mobile phone producers, integrated circuit manufacturers and notebook manufacturers have joined forces to push built-in support for mobile broadband technology on notebook computers...
Desktop Replacement Computer ... Desktop replacement computers are also often used with a port replicator, to fully enjoy the desktop comfort... Design features Modern desktop replacements generally perform better than traditional laptop-style computers as their size allows the inclusion of more powerful components... However, these advantages generally come at a price premium, with many computers in this class costing as much as two desktop computers with similar specifications...
Rugged Computer ... Construction Virtually all rugged computers share an underlying design philosophy of providing a controlled environment for the installed electronics...
Computer Program ... Computer source code is often written by computer programmers. Source code is written in a programming language that usually follows one of two main paradigms: imperative or declarative programming...
Motherboard ... The most popular computers such as the Apple II and IBM PC had published schematic diagrams and other documentation which permitted rapid reverse-engineering and third-party replacement motherboards... Usually intended for building new computers compatible with the exemplars, many motherboards offered additional performance or other features and were used to upgrade the manufacturer's original equipment...
Computer Data Storage ... In contemporary usage, 'memory' usually refers to semiconductor storage read-write random-access memory, typically DRAM (Dynamic-RAM). Memory can refer to other forms of fast but temporary storage...
Konrad Zuse ... Zuse was also noted for the S2 computing machine, considered the first process-controlled computer. He founded one of the earliest computer businesses in 1941, producing the Z4, which became the world's first commercial computer...