Computers vary widely in terms of their size and

purpose they serve. There are very small computers

that can be held on a palm. There are also large
computers that take a whole room to occupy. They are
used by big organizations, public and private.
Organizations use computers for a variety of
applications ranging from scientific to commercial in
nature. The most widely used computers are called
personal computers that typically fit on a desktop.
Computers can be classified on several bases as follows:
1. On the basis of working Principle
2. On the basis of size
3. On the basis of purpose of use
The computer can be classified into:
• Analog computer
• Digital computer
• Hybrid computer
The computer can be classified into:
• Super Computer
• Mainframe Computer
• Mini Computer
• Micro Computer
• Workstations
The computer can be classified into:
• Special purpose computer
• General purpose computer
On the basis of working Principle the computer can
be classified into:
1. Analog computer
2. Digital computer
3. Hybrid computer
 Analog computer operates on inputs of continuously varying
electrical voltage. It measures the input rather than counting.
The name that is derived from the Greek word 'analog'
denotes that the computer functions by establishing
similarities between two quantities that are usually expressed
as voltages or currents. Analog computers are powerful tools
to solve differential equations. They are mainly used in
scientific design and production environments. Each one has
to be constructed to do a specific job and will respond very
quickly to changes in the measured inputs.
 A digital computer operates essentially by counting. All
quantities are expressed as discrete digits or numbers and
computations are done with numerical digits. Mathematical
expressions are represented as binary digits (0 and 1) and all
operations are done using these binary digits at a very high rate.
The digital computer basically knows addition. Remaining
operations, like multiplication and division, are first converted -
into addition and then calculated. Digital computer is much
faster than analog computer and the computations are far more
accurate. They come in various sizes starting from pocket size
to the large systems occupying big rooms. Most of the
computers available today are digital.
 Hybrid computer combines features of both analog and digital
computers. In this computer, some calculations are done in the
analog portion of the computer and some are done in the
digital portion of it. In a hospital, for example, analog devices
may measure patient's heart function, temperature and other
vital signs. These measurements may then be converted into
numbers and supplied to a digital component in the system.
This component is used to monitor the patient's vital signs and
to send an immediate signal to the nurse's station if any
abnormal readings are detected.
On the basis of size the computer can be classified
into:
1. Micro Computer
2. Mini Computer
3. Mainframe Computer
4. Super computer
5. Workstations
Microcomputer is at the lowest end of the computer range in terms of
speed and storage capacity. Its CPU is a microprocessor. The first
microcomputers were built of 8-bit microprocessor chips. The most
common application of personal computers (PC) is in this category.
The PC supports a number of input and output devices.
Microcomputers include (a) portable computers and (b) desktop
computers.
(a) Portable Computer
Portable computer is a very small, easy to use microcomputer. The
users can carry it wherever they go. This group includes personal
digital assistant, pen-based computer, hand-held computer, notebook
computer and laptop computer.
(a) Personal Computer or Desktop Computer
Personal computer is a microprocessor based, single user computer.
The peripherals for personal computer include a keyboard and a mouse
as input devices, monitor to display information and a hard disk for
storage.
Minicomputer is a medium sized computer that is costlier and more powerful
than a microcomputer. It is in fact a scaled down version of mainframe
computer. This can support up to a few hundred users at a time with multi-
terminal, time-sharing system. They are mainly used as departmental
computers in large and medium-sized organisations. They are also used in
government departments, universities and R and D establishments.
The earliest computers were callpd mainframes due to their size. The term is
still used for the large computers of today. They have large storage
capacities, very high speed of processing (compared to micros and minis)
and can support a large number of terminals (Many hundreds to thousands)
for use by a variety of users simultaneously. They are kept in air-conditioned
environment in a special computer room. They are used by big companies,
banks, government departments, etc. as their main computer.
It is the fastest and the most expensive computer. This has extremely large storage
capacities and computing speeds that are at least ten times faster than that of other
computers. It can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second. The super
computer is used for specialised applications such as large-scale numerical problems
in scientific and engineering disciplines. These include applications in electronics,
petroleum engineering, weather forecasting, medicine and nuclear energy research.
Workstation is a powerful computer which in terms of power is between personal
computer and minicomputer. It has high resolution graphics monitor, large RAM and
secondary storage. Although it is a standalone system, usually it forms part of a
network and it uses Unix or Windows NT as operating system. Workstations are used
for specialised applications such as desktop publishing, software development and
engineering designs.
 On the basis of purpose of use the computer can be
classified into:
1. Special Purpose Computer
2. General Purpose Computer
Special purpose computer is tailor-made solely to cater
to the requirements of a particular task or application,
for example, weather forecasting. It incorporates the
instructions needed into the design of internal storage
so that it can perform the given task on a simple
command. It, therefore, does not possess unnecessary
options, and costs less.
 
The general-purpose computer is designed to meet the
needs of many different applications. The instructions
needed to perform a particular task are not wired
permanently into the internal memory. When one job is
over, instructions for another job can be loaded into the
internal memory for processing. Thus, a general-
purpose machine can be used to prepare paybills,
manage inventories, print sales reports, do scientific
calculations and so on.