Based on factors like speed, storage, capacity, size and application run computers are classified as follows;
1)Supercomputers
2)Mainframe Computers
3)Mini Computers
3)Micro Computers
1)Supercomputers :
This is a fastest type of computers. They are very expensive and are used specialised applications that requires huge amount of mathematical calculations. Some of the areas where super computers used are energy research, scientific research, etc.
2)Mainframe Computers :
Mainframe computers are very expensive computers. They are capable of of supporting more users than a minicomputer. Like the typical mainframe computer, a supercomputer is a large and powerful device but, unlike the more general-purpose mainframe, usually serves a few users or only one, and is usually dedicated to solving complex computational problems (such as those found in advanced engineering or scientific applications), rather than to general-purpose use. Mainframes are just bellow supercomputers.
3)Minicomputers :
The term mainframe computer was created to distinguish the traditional, large, institutional computer intended to service multiple users from the smaller, single user machines. These computers are capable of handling and processing very large amounts of data quickly. Mainframe computers are used in large institutions such as government, banks and large corporations. These institutions were early adopters of computer use, long before personal computers were available to individuals. "Mainframe" often refers to computers compatible with the computer architectures established in the 1960s. Thus, the origin of the architecture also affects the classification, not just processing power.
Mainframes are measured in integer operations per second or MIPS. An example of integer operation is moving data around in memory or I/O devices. A more useful industrial benchmark is transaction processing as defined by the Transaction Processing Performance Council. Mainframes are built to be reliable for transaction processing as it is commonly understood in the business world: a commercial exchange of goods, services, or money. A typical transaction, as defined by the Transaction Processing Performance Council, would include the updating to a database system for such things as inventory control (goods), airline reservations (services), or banking (money). A transaction could refer to a set of operations including disk read/writes, operating system calls, or some form of data transfer from one subsystem to another.
4)Microcomputers :
These are the computers that we used in our offices and homes now a days.
This are also called as personal computers(PC). PC are relatively expensive and are designed for single users. All are based on micro process as technology that manufactures to put an entire CPU into a smal chip.
These computers are used for word processing, accounting, DTP, runing spread sheets and data base applications.
