1.3 and 1.4 Measurement Unit of processing speed, storage unit and Super, Mainframe, Mini and Microcomputers
It was in 2028 B.S. when HMG brought IBM 1401 (a 2nd generation computer) on rent for Rs. 1 Lakhs and 25 thousand per month to process census data. It took 1 year 7 months and 15 days to process the census data.
In 2038 B.S., a 2nd generation computer was imported with the aid of UNDP and UNFPA from England for 2 million US dollars by NCC (National Computer Center), its name was ICL 2950/10 for the National Census 2038 B.S.
ICL 2950 had 64 terminals and it is kept in the museum now.
In 2039 B.S. microcomputers such as Apple, Vector, and IBM etc were imported by private companies and individuals.
Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) was established in December 1992.
From the government of Nepal’s side, to implement IT law in the country, a draft was prepared in 2057 B.S., which was fully fledged sanctioned from 2062, Bhadra.
Now -a-days probably each and every institution, business organizations, communication centers, ticket counters etc are using computers based on the latest model and architectures as well.
Super Computer [ 5 marks]
It can be used to forecast the weather and global climate.
It is used in military research and defense systems.
It is used in Automobile, Aircrafts and Spacecrafts designing.
It is used for encoding and decoding the sensitive information.
It is used in seismograph, plasma and nuclear research.
It is used for the study of DNA and genetic engineering.
Measurement Unit of processing unit
The different measurement units and their relationship for microcomputer speed are as follows:
1,000 Hz = 1 Kilo Hertz (103 Hz)
1,000 KHz = 1 Mega Hertz (106 Hz)
1,000 MHz= 1 Giga Hertz (109 Hz)
1,000 GHz= 1 Tera Hertz (1012 Hz)
Computers use an internal clock to synchronize all of their calculations. The clock ensures that the various circuits inside a computer work together at the same time.
Clock speed is measured by how many ticks per second the clock makes. The unit of measurement called a hertz (Hz), which is technically one cycle per second, is used to measure clock speed. In the case of computer clock speed, one hertz equals one tick per second. The clock speed of computers is usually measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). One megahertz equals one million ticks per second, and one gigahertz equals one billion ticks per second.
You can use clock speed as a rough measurement of how fast a computer is. A 2.0GHz computer will run faster than a 1.4GHz computer with the same processor and the same amount of memory. However, you cannot use clock speed to compare computers with different types of processors or computers with different amounts of memory.
The different measurement units and their relationship for microcomputer speed are as follows:
1,000 Hz = 1 Kilo Hertz (103 Hz)
1,000 KHz = 1 Mega Hertz (106 Hz)
1,000 MHz= 1 Giga Hertz (109 Hz)
1,000 GHz= 1 Tera Hertz (1012 Hz)
Computers use an internal clock to synchronize all of their calculations. The clock ensures that the various circuits inside a computer work together at the same time.
Clock speed is measured by how many ticks per second the clock makes. The unit of measurement called a hertz (Hz), which is technically one cycle per second, is used to measure clock speed. In the case of computer clock speed, one hertz equals one tick per second. The clock speed of computers is usually measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). One megahertz equals one million ticks per second, and one gigahertz equals one billion ticks per second.
You can use clock speed as a rough measurement of how fast a computer is. A 2.0GHz computer will run faster than a 1.4GHz computer with the same processor and the same amount of memory. However, you cannot use clock speed to compare computers with different types of processors or computers with different amounts of memory.
Speed of computer
Measuring units of computer storage are:
Memory is measured in bytes. A byte is a combination of 8 bits and represents one character, a letter or symbol.
Memory is measured in bytes. A byte is a combination of 8 bits and represents one character, a letter or symbol.
History of Computer in Nepal
Super, Mainframe, Mini and Micro Computer
Super computer is physically the largest computer in size and it is the fastest, most expensive and most powerful computer. It can process large amounts of data. The fastest supercomputer can perform more than one trillion calculations per second. Some supercomputers have thousands of processors. It is especially made to process the complex and time consuming calculations. It has multiple CPUs hence it supports fully parallel processing (ability to carry out multiple operations or tasks simultaneously).
Applications of super computer in real life situation are as follows:
Examples of Super Computer:
b) Mainframe Computer
It is the second largest computer which covers about 1000 sq. feet. It is a general purpose computer which has been designed for large scale data processing. It is also a very expensive and high speed computer system. It supports large numbers of computer terminals with separate input and output units in each terminal so that about 100 or more persons can work on this computer at a time. Time sharing techniques are used to access the same computer at the same time by multiple users.
Mainframe computers are used in large organizations such as insurance companies and banks, where many people frequently need to use the same data. In a traditional mainframe computer, each user accesses the mainframe resources through a device called a terminal. There are two types of terminal: a dumb terminal does not process or store data. It has simply an input output device whereas an intelligent terminal can perform some processing operations, but it usually does not have any storage.
Examples of mainframe computers: IBM 1401, IBM 7090, ICL 2950/10 etc.
c) Mini Computer
It is the medium – sized general purpose computer which was first released in the 1960s. Minicomputer got its name because of its small size in comparison to other computers of those days. The capabilities of a minicomputer are somewhere between those of mainframe and personal computers. For this reason, minicomputers are also called midrange computers. It covers about 10 sq. ft. Its CPU can be connected to 50 terminals so that up to 50 persons can work on this computer at a time. It is used in medium size organizations and co-operation like banks, insurance companies, reservation centers etc. Examples of minicomputer: Prime series, AS/400, AP-3 etc
d) Micro Computer
It is the smallest general purpose computer on the basis of size and it is called a microcomputer because it has a microprocessor as a central processing unit (CPU). Microprocessor is a small silicon chip which is made by integrating millions of components. It is also called a personal computer because it can be used only by a single person at a time. It is easy to handle so it is used in different application areas such as school, college, home, cyber etc. Microcomputers are of various types. For example: Desktop computer, Laptop Computer, Notebook, Palmtop computer, Pocket PC etc.
The examples of microcomputer are IBM PC, Apple /Macintosh etc.
Difference between Micro Computer and Super Computer:
