diff --git a/computer.md b/computer.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..62fad48 --- /dev/null +++ b/computer.md @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +# Computer + +The word *computer* can be defined in many ways and can also take many different meanings; a somewhat common definition may be this: computer is a machine that automatically performs mathematical computations. We can also see it as a machine for processing information or, very generally, as any tool that helps computation, in which case one's fingers or even a [mathematical](math.md) formula itself can be considered a computer. Here we are of course mostly concerned with electronic [digital](digital.md) computers. + +We can divide computers based on many attributes, e.g.: + +- by **representation of data**: [digital](digital.md) vs [analog](analog.md) +- by **[hardware](hw.md) technology**: [electronic](electronics.md), [mechanical](mechanical.md), biological etc. +- by **purpose**: special purpose vs general purpose, [personal](pc.md), [embedded](embedded.md), [supercomputers](supercomputer.md) etc. +- by **[programmability](programming.md)**: non-programmable, partially or fully programmable +- by **other criteria**: conventional vs [quantum computers](quantum.md) etc. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/digital.md b/digital.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7af0669 --- /dev/null +++ b/digital.md @@ -0,0 +1,7 @@ +# Digital + +Digital [technology](tech.md) is that which works with whole numbers, i.e. discrete values, as opposed to [analog](analog.md) technology which works with real numbers, i.e. continuous values. The name *digital* is related to the word *digit* as digital computers store data by digits, e.g. in 1s and 0s if they work in [binary](binary.md). + +Normies confuse digital with [electronic](electronic.md) or think that digital computers can only be electronic, that digital computers can only work in [binary](binary.md) or have other weird assumptions whatsoever. **This is indeed false!** An [abacus](abacus.md) is digital device. Fucking normies. + +The advantage of digital technology is its resilience to noise which prevents degradation of data and accumulation of error -- if a digital picture is copied a billion times, it will very likely remain unchanged, whereas performing the same operation with analog picture would probably erase most of the information it bears due to loss of quality in each copy. Digital technology also makes it easy and practically possible to create fully programmable general purpose [computers](computer.md) if great complexity. diff --git a/history.md b/history.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..da53fec --- /dev/null +++ b/history.md @@ -0,0 +1,5 @@ +# History + +It all started about 80000 years ago with ape-people realizing they can use small bones to help them count. It only went downwards from then. { JK but also not really. ~drummyfish } + +TODO \ No newline at end of file