Computers and Space Technology

Personal Digital Assistant ... The first PDA was released in 1986 by Psion, the Organizer II. Followed by Psion's Series 3, in 1991, which began to resemble the more familiar PDA style...

Software Bug ... Bugs trigger errors that can in turn have a wide variety of ripple effects, with varying levels of inconvenience to the user of the program. Some bugs have only a subtle effect on the program's functionality, and may thus lie undetected for a long time...

Computer Multitasking ... The expression 'time sharing' was usually used to designate computers shared by interactive users at terminals, such as IBM's TSO, and VM/CMS In real-time systems, some waiting tasks are guaranteed to be given the CPU when an external event occurs... The term time-sharing is no longer commonly used, having been replaced by simply multitasking, and by the advent of personal computers and workstations rather than shared interactive systems...

Unconventional Computing ... Some mechanical computers have a theoretical or didactic relevance, such as billiard-ball computers or hydraulic ones,... Light (optical computing) Computers can manipulate information as light (rather than electricity or billiard balls)...

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...

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...

Programmer ... Computer programmers write, test, debug, and maintain the detailed instructions, called computer programs, that computers must follow to perform their functions...

Microprocessor ... General-purpose microprocessors in personal computers are used for computation, text editing, multimedia display, and communication over the Internet...

Personal Computer Hardware ... EISA Micro Channel architecture ISA: expansion card slot format obsolete in PCs, but still used in industrial computers... Most modern computers have hardware support for sound integrated in the motherboard chipset but some users prefer to install a separate sound card as an upgrade...

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...

Packet Switching ... Packet switching contrasts with another principal networking paradigm, circuit switching, a method which sets up a limited number of dedicated connections of constant bit rate and constant delay between nodes for exclusive use during the communication session. In case of traffic fees (as opposed to flat rate), for example in cellular communication services, circuit switching is characterized by a fee per time unit of connection time, even when no data is transferred, while packet switching is characterized by a fee per unit of information...

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...

Periphere Computer-Systeme ... In addition to UNIX computers, PCS also manufactured industrial terminals. Eventually, PCS was bought out by Mannesmann-Kienzle, which in turn was bought out by Ken Olsen to become part of DEC, Digital Equipment Corporation...

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...

Internet Privacy ... Internet privacy forms a subset of computer privacy. A number of experts within the field of Internet security and privacy believe that privacy doesn't exist; "Privacy is dead – get over it" according to Steve Rambam, private investigator specializing in Internet privacy cases...

Programming Language ... The earliest programming languages predate the invention of the computer, and were used to direct the behavior of machines such as Jacquard looms and player pianos. Thousands of different programming languages have been created, mainly in the computer field, with many more being created every year...

Central Processing Unit ... On personal computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in a single silicon chip called a microprocessor...

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...

Computer Network ... Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics such as the medium used to transport the data, communications protocol used, scale, topology, and organizational scope. Communications protocols define the rules and data formats for exchanging information in a computer network, and provide the basis for network programming...