CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="client-nojs" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"/> <title>Computer - RationalWiki</title> <script>document.documentElement.className="client-js";RLCONF={"wgBreakFrames":!1,"wgSeparatorTransformTable":["",""],"wgDigitTransformTable":["",""],"wgDefaultDateFormat":"dmy","wgMonthNames":["","January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"wgRequestId":"Z-4XvkS_t72G1ym7R1N_8gAAABY","wgCSPNonce":!1,"wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":!1,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Computer","wgTitle":"Computer","wgCurRevisionId":2687218,"wgRevisionId":2687218,"wgArticleId":13031,"wgIsArticle":!0,"wgIsRedirect":!1,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Pages using DynamicPageList parser function","Technology","Computer science"],"wgPageContentLanguage":"en","wgPageContentModel":"wikitext","wgRelevantPageName":"Computer","wgRelevantArticleId":13031,"wgIsProbablyEditable":!0,"wgRelevantPageIsProbablyEditable":!0,"wgRestrictionEdit":[],"wgRestrictionMove":[], "wgMediaViewerOnClick":!0,"wgMediaViewerEnabledByDefault":!0};RLSTATE={"site.styles":"ready","noscript":"ready","user.styles":"ready","user":"ready","user.options":"loading","ext.cite.styles":"ready","skins.vector.styles.legacy":"ready","mediawiki.toc.styles":"ready"};RLPAGEMODULES=["ext.cite.ux-enhancements","site","mediawiki.page.startup","mediawiki.page.ready","mediawiki.toc","skins.vector.legacy.js","ext.gadget.ReferenceTooltips","mmv.head","mmv.bootstrap.autostart"];</script> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.loader.implement("user.options@1hzgi",function($,jQuery,require,module){/*@nomin*/mw.user.tokens.set({"patrolToken":"+\\","watchToken":"+\\","csrfToken":"+\\"}); });});</script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=ext.cite.styles%7Cmediawiki.toc.styles%7Cskins.vector.styles.legacy&only=styles&skin=vector"/> <script async="" src="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&raw=1&skin=vector"></script> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content=""/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=site.styles&only=styles&skin=vector"/> <meta name="generator" content="MediaWiki 1.35.6"/> <meta name="description" content="A computer is a device capable of automating vast amounts of mathematical computation to solve all kinds of problems, both mathematical and non-mathematical. While early digital computers from the 1930s and 1940s generally were used for numerical computations such as data encryption/decryption and weather simulations, over the next sixty or so years computer technology (helped along by the invention of the transistor at Bell Labs) would advance to the point where computers could be used to enhance or enable activities such as text processing, games, and pr0n. Today's computer is often small enough to fit in a small space on someone's desk (or even in their pocket, in the form of a PDA or a smartphone), and is capable of downloading and viewing a whole lot of porn useful information in a very short time."/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/x-wiki" title="Edit" href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit"/> <link rel="edit" title="Edit" href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico"/> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/w/opensearch_desc.php" title="RationalWiki (en)"/> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/api.php?action=rsd"/> <link rel="license" href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Copyrights"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="RationalWiki Atom feed" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="RationalWiki"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Computer"/> <meta property="og:description" content="A computer is a device capable of automating vast amounts of mathematical computation to solve all kinds of problems, both mathematical and non-mathematical. While early digital computers from the 1930s and 1940s generally were used for numerical computations such as data encryption/decryption and weather simulations, over the next sixty or so years computer technology (helped along by the invention of the transistor at Bell Labs) would advance to the point where computers could be used to enhance or enable activities such as text processing, games, and pr0n. Today's computer is often small enough to fit in a small space on someone's desk (or even in their pocket, in the form of a PDA or a smartphone), and is capable of downloading and viewing a whole lot of porn useful information in a very short time."/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Computer"/>  </head> <body class="mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject mw-editable page-Computer rootpage-Computer skin-vector action-view minerva--history-page-action-enabled skin-vector-legacy"> <div id="mw-page-base" class="noprint"></div> <div id="mw-head-base" class="noprint"></div> <div id="content" class="mw-body" role="main"> <a id="top"></a> <div id="siteNotice" class="mw-body-content"><div id="localNotice" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div id="2025_RationalWiki_.27Oregon_Plan.27_Fundraiser"> <table role="presentation" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; width: 100%;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="width: 60%; text-align: left;"><big><center><b><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser">2025 RationalWiki 'Oregon Plan' Fundraiser</a></b></center></big> <p><b>There is no RationalWiki without you.</b> We are a small non-profit with no staff—we are hundreds of volunteers who document pseudoscience and crankery around the world every day. We will never allow ads because we must remain independent. We cannot rely on big donors with corresponding big agendas. We are not the largest website around, but <a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser">we believe we play an important role in defending truth and objectivity</a>. </p> </td> <td style="width: 40%; text-align: center;"><big><b><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser">Fighting pseudoscience isn't free</a>.<br />We are 100% user-supported! Help and donate $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can today with <img alt="PayPal Logo.png" src="/w/images/thumb/f/fb/PayPal_Logo.png/61px-PayPal_Logo.png" decoding="async" width="61" height="17" srcset="/w/images/thumb/f/fb/PayPal_Logo.png/92px-PayPal_Logo.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/f/fb/PayPal_Logo.png/122px-PayPal_Logo.png 2x" data-file-width="883" data-file-height="244" />!</b></big><a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=67BJMQC85CUFW" title="Donate via PayPal" rel="nofollow"><img alt="" src="/w/images/thumb/1/10/DonateButton.png/100px-DonateButton.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="32" srcset="/w/images/thumb/1/10/DonateButton.png/150px-DonateButton.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/1/10/DonateButton.png/200px-DonateButton.png 2x" data-file-width="759" data-file-height="241" /></a> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div role="progressbar" style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid black; position: relative; padding: 2px; border-radius: 18px;"> <a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser"><span style="text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, -1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF; color: black; font-size: 125%; position: absolute; left: 0%; margin: 0 0 0 10px"><b>Donations so far: $8765.50</b></span></a><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Fundraiser" title="RationalWiki:Fundraiser"><span style="text-shadow: -1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px -1px 0 #FFFFFF, -1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF, 1px 1px 0 #FFFFFF; color: black; font-size: 125%; position: absolute; right: 0%; margin: 0 10px 0 0"><b>Goal: $10000</b></span></a><div style="height: 28px; border-radius: 14px; background-color: hsl(70.124,100%,45%); width: 87.655%;"></div> </div></div></div></div> <div class="mw-indicators mw-body-content"> </div> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading" lang="en">Computer</h1> <div id="bodyContent" class="mw-body-content"> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From RationalWiki</div> <div id="contentSub"></div> <div id="contentSub2"></div> <div id="jump-to-nav"></div> <a class="mw-jump-link" href="#mw-head">Jump to navigation</a> <a class="mw-jump-link" href="#searchInput">Jump to search</a> <div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"><div class="mw-parser-output"><table style="margin: auto; border-collapse:collapse; border-style:none; background-color:transparent;" class="cquote"> <tbody><tr> <td><div style="padding:4px 50px;position:relative;"><span style="position:absolute;left:10px;top:-6px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">“</span><span style="position:absolute;right:10px;bottom:-20px;z-index:1;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;color:#B2B7F2;font-size:36px">”</span>To err is human, to really foul things up requires a computer.</div> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding:4px 10px 8px;font-size:smaller;line-height:1.6em;text-align:right;"><cite style="font-style:normal;position:relative;z-index:2">—Bill Vaughan<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup></cite> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:212px;"><a href="/wiki/File:AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_(1953).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_%281953%29.jpg/250px-AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_%281953%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="210" height="266" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_%281953%29.jpg/330px-AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_%281953%29.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_%281953%29.jpg/500px-AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_%281953%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2193" data-file-height="2782" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:AVIDAC_--_First_Argonne_Computer_(1953).jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>The great-granddaddy of the thing you're using now.</div></div></div> <table class="infobox" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 0.5em 0.5em; text-align:left; border: 1px solid #FF4500; width:175px;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center; color:White; background-color:#FF4500"><b>It just works</b><br /><a href="/wiki/Technology" title="Technology"><font size="4" color="White"><b>Technology</b></font></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#FFA07A;" align="center"><a href="/wiki/Category:Technology" title="Category:Technology"><img alt="Icon Tech Portal.svg" src="/w/images/thumb/7/7d/Icon_Tech_Portal.svg/100px-Icon_Tech_Portal.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="100" srcset="/w/images/thumb/7/7d/Icon_Tech_Portal.svg/150px-Icon_Tech_Portal.svg.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/7/7d/Icon_Tech_Portal.svg/200px-Icon_Tech_Portal.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="200" data-file-height="200" /></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; color:White; background-color:#FF4500; text-align:center;"><b>Programming for Dummies</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 95%; background-color:#FFA07A;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Steorn" title="Steorn">Steorn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ADE-651" title="ADE-651">ADE-651</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard" title="Dvorak Simplified Keyboard">Dvorak Simplified Keyboard</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Megahertz_myth" title="Megahertz myth">Megahertz myth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fake_top_level_domain_names" title="Fake top level domain names">Fake top level domain names</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military-industrial_complex" title="Military-industrial complex">Military-industrial complex</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Skyrail" title="Skyrail">Skyrail</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nuclear_power" title="Nuclear power">Nuclear power</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software" title="Free and open-source software">Free and open-source software</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Calvin_Robinson" title="Calvin Robinson">Calvin Robinson</a></li></ul> <div class="vte plainlinks" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Template:Technav" title="Template:Technav">v</a> - <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Technav" title="Template talk:Technav">t</a> - <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Technav&action=edit">e</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p>A <b>computer</b> is a device capable of automating vast amounts of <a href="/wiki/Mathematics" title="Mathematics">mathematical</a> computation to solve all kinds of problems, both mathematical and non-mathematical. While early digital computers from the 1930s and 1940s generally were used for numerical computations such as data encryption/decryption and weather simulations, over the next sixty or so years computer technology (helped along by the invention of the transistor at Bell Labs) would advance to the point where computers could be used to enhance or enable activities such as text processing, games, and <a href="/wiki/Pr0n" class="mw-redirect" title="Pr0n">pr0n</a>. Today's computer is often small enough to fit in a small space on someone's desk (or even in their pocket, in the form of a PDA or a smartphone), and is capable of downloading and viewing a <i>whole lot</i> of <s>porn</s> useful information in a very short time. </p><p>A very small computer optimized for interactive use is called a calculator, and is a great way to give a math educator fits trying to figure out what to do with it. </p> <div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="display:none" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr"><h2 id="mw-toc-heading">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox"></label></span></div> <ul> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#A_brief_history"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">A brief history</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="#Things_computers_cannot_do"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Things computers <i>cannot</i> do</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="#Basic_workings"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Basic workings</span></a> <ul> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4"><a href="#Physics"><span class="tocnumber">3.1</span> <span class="toctext">Physics</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="#Electronics_.E2.80.94_basics"><span class="tocnumber">3.2</span> <span class="toctext">Electronics — basics</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6"><a href="#Electronics_.E2.80.94_processor"><span class="tocnumber">3.3</span> <span class="toctext">Electronics — processor</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="#Software_.E2.80.94_operating_system"><span class="tocnumber">3.4</span> <span class="toctext">Software — operating system</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8"><a href="#Software_.E2.80.94_apps"><span class="tocnumber">3.5</span> <span class="toctext">Software — apps</span></a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9"><a href="#Quantum_computer"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Quantum computer</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10"><a href="#See_also"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11"><a href="#References"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li> </ul> </div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="A_brief_history">A brief history</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: A brief history">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Computers broadly fall into two types: analog and digital. Analog computers rely on continuous calculations whereas digital computers carry out discrete calculations. </p><p>The earliest known analog computer, the <i>Antikythera mechanism</i>, dates to between 150 and 100 BCE, and was found in a shipwreck in 1901. Following its re-discovery, its function was not fully understood until around 2006. The device was a sophisticated — though somewhat lacking in engineering precision — astronomical and calendrical calculator.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup> People have used many types of navigational and astronomical analog computers since that time, including the planisphere and the astrolabe. One of the first purely mathematical calculators was the slide rule, which was invented in the 1600s, following the publication of the concept of the logarithm upon which it relies. </p><p>The digital computer era began in 1936 with a theoretical paper by <a href="/wiki/Alan_Turing" title="Alan Turing">Alan Turing</a>, <i>On Computable Numbers</i>. <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a> (1939-1945) hastened the development of digital computers, with Konrad Zuse building the first modern computer in 1941. Digital computers' utility, speed and eventual cheapness have largely made analog computers redundant in all but limited, specialized uses. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Things_computers_cannot_do">Things computers <i>cannot</i> do</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Things computers cannot do">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <ul><li>A computer cannot hold an intelligent conversation with a human being (see <a href="/wiki/Turing_test" class="mw-redirect" title="Turing test">Turing test</a>). It can, however, malfunction and lock the pod bay doors shut, so you might have an issue with that. <ul><li>Some computers have been able to reach the point where they can confuse, for some limited period of time, a few horny cybersex addicts on IRC and/or creationists.</li></ul></li> <li>A computer cannot successfully upload viruses to alien operating systems. (At least not without the right network card and protocol stack. Good thing the wireheads at <a href="/wiki/Area_51" title="Area 51">Area 51</a> are <a href="/wiki/Mac" class="mw-redirect" title="Mac">Mac</a> users.)</li> <li>A computer cannot spontaneously become self aware, take over every computer in the world, launch a massive nuclear attack to wipe out humanity, then send artificially intelligent killer androids back in time to prevent someone from stopping it. Under the right circumstances, however, it can assume total control of the state of <a href="/wiki/California" class="mw-redirect" title="California">Caulyforneeya</a>.</li> <li>A computer cannot do anything at all without being told what to do — and the task of telling a computer what to do is so complex that there are scientists and megacorporations that make most of their living researching better ways to do it.</li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Basic_workings">Basic workings</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Basic workings">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>A computer can be seen as a set of layers that progressively abstract the complexity of the underlying ones: </p> <h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Physics">Physics</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Physics">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <ul><li>At the lowest level, a network of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor" class="extiw" title="wp:Transistor" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Transistor">transistors</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> is printed on a chip. Each transistor is in the scale of few nanometers<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup> and acts as a switch: it conducts electricity or not depending on the voltage that is applied to its other input.</li></ul> <h3><span id="Electronics_—_basics"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Electronics_.E2.80.94_basics">Electronics — basics</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Electronics — basics">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <ul><li>That basic building block makes it possible to create <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_gate" class="extiw" title="wp:Logical gate" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Logical gate">logical gates</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup>, that is, pieces of circuitry that implement the <i>AND</i>, <i>OR</i>, <i>NOT</i> functions (and other minor variations): for example, the output of an AND is 1 only if both inputs are 1 as well (1 representing a higher level of voltage compared to 0).</li> <li>These blocks can be used to implement various functionalities: <ul><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adder_(electronics)" class="extiw" title="wp:Adder (electronics)" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Adder (electronics)">Adders</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup>, that sum two binary numbers with a predetermined number of binary digits (bits) (eg. 32, which corresponds to 9 decimal digits, or 64, 20 decimal digits).</li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplexer" class="extiw" title="wp:Multiplexer" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Multiplexer">Multiplexers</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup>, that select a particular input among many, according to the value specified in another input. Or demultiplexers, that forward an individual input value to a specific output among many.</li> <li>By creating loops in these circuits, it's possible for a circuit to "remember" a value. For example, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip-flop_(electronics)" class="extiw" title="wp:Flip-flop (electronics)" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Flip-flop (electronics)">flip-flop</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> can, depending on its two inputs, keep the current output, change it to 1, change it to 0, or switch it. Groups of these can be used to create a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_register" class="extiw" title="wp:Hardware register" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Hardware register">register</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup>, that is, a place where to store (or read) a numeric value or other information.</li> <li>When multiplexers and flip-flops are used together, it's possible to create an addressable memory: depending on the input data values, input address values, and control values (read/write), it's possible to ask the memory to read or write data from a particular region.</li></ul></li></ul> <h3><span id="Electronics_—_processor"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Electronics_.E2.80.94_processor">Electronics — processor</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Electronics — processor">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <ul><li>Memory can store data or code (both are represented as opaque sequences of bits, or bytes (groups of 8 bits)). Code is composed of a sequence of instructions, each represented by a numeric code and zero or more operands/parameters. Various instructions exist: <ul><li>instructions that perform arithmetical operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication… (with either constants, or values in addressable memory — RAM, or in use by other parts of the processor — "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_register" class="extiw" title="wp:Hardware register" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Hardware register">registers</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup>");</li> <li>instructions that compare two values (that come from some of the above sources);</li> <li>instructions that jump, either conditionally or unconditionally, to a predetermined portion of code.</li> <li>instructions that write or read data from the RAM of from an input/output device.</li></ul></li> <li>The task of the CPU is to follow the instructions in the code. This is achieved with a complex set of the above components, along with some registers that let the processor "keep track" of what it is currently supposed to do: <ul><li>A register called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_counter" class="extiw" title="wp:Program counter" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Program counter">instruction pointer</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> specifies the numeric address of the instruction that is supposed to be executed next. This value is sent to the RAM, that returns back the instruction at that position.</li> <li>Based on the numeric code of the instruction, the processor decides what to do and orchestrates which gates are supposed to be open, which closed, and which control values should be sent (or not sent) to each sub-component or external device. For example, if the instruction is ADD, data from the first and second operands should flow into the adder, and the output of the adder should also be forwarded to the appropriate location (for example, an intermediate register that will be later used to replace the contents of the first operand, so that the first operand is "incremented by" the second operand).</li> <li>Because it's often required to perform some common operations (like doing something complex like writing a piece of text on the screen), functions can be used to write this repetitive code once. Since the "write text to the screen" function needs to know where to jump back when it has finished its job, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_stack" class="extiw" title="wp:Call stack" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Call stack">stack of functions</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> currently being executed is kept in RAM. When a function is called, the address where to jump back when it's done is added to the top of the stack. When a function finished, it removes and jumps to whatever is at the top of the stack. In this way, many functions can be called recursively.</li></ul></li></ul> <h3><span id="Software_—_operating_system"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Software_.E2.80.94_operating_system">Software — operating system</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Software — operating system">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <ul><li>Writing machine code by hand is very complicated, slow and error-prone. A variety of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_language" class="extiw" title="wp:Programming language" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Programming language">programming languages</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> has been developed so that textual, friendly, and humanly comprehensible code can be automatically converted to machine code understandable to the processor.</li> <li>An <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/operating_system" class="extiw" title="wp:operating system" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: operating system">operating system</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> can now run on the computer. It is a special program that abstracts the underlying resources and provides a more friendly programming experience for developers, and for final users too: <ul><li>For developers, it provides a wide variety of commonly used functions for interacting with the machine. For example, <code>CreateFile("C:\\Path\\Example.txt")</code> is easier to use rather than organizing a hierarchical store of data addressed by name on the disk and issuing low-level control commands to the hard disk by yourself.</li> <li>It orchestrates the execution of multiple applications at the same time. Each application is given a few milliseconds of time to run. If the application hasn't finished whatever it had to do within that time, a pre-programmed timer in the CPU gives the control back to the operating system, that then decides who's the next application that has pending tasks to do.</li> <li>Applications are prevented by the CPU from executing special instructions that allow low-level access to some devices or to some memory areas. These tasks can however be executed by the operating system on behalf of the application (after the operating system has checked the application can do something, eg. the current user has actually the permissions to read/write a specific file) by invoking a "system call".</li> <li>Some applications for commonly-required tasks can be included in the operating system (eg. a tool for managing files, browsing the web and so on).</li></ul></li></ul> <h3><span id="Software_—_apps"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Software_.E2.80.94_apps">Software — apps</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Software — apps">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3> <ul><li>You can now download your favorite Angry Birds application, or visit your favorite <a href="/wiki/Pornography" title="Pornography">"sports"</a> site.</li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Quantum_computer">Quantum computer</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Quantum computer">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>The idea of quantum computers is basically that, once things get small enough, physics go out the window, meaning that there IS a physical limit to how small silicon transistors get before everything becomes chaos (about 7 nm). Though they are working on making transistors out of different materials, which would allow them to get smaller, it still means that at one point or another it will become physically impossible for <a href="/wiki/Moore%27s_Law" title="Moore's Law">Moore's Law</a> to continue, meaning that the growth of computing power will stop, inhibiting scientific progress and causing a global <a href="/wiki/Recession" title="Recession">recession</a> due to the computer industry shrinking dramatically. However, a quantum computer would take advantage of the laws of physics going out the window at this size to produce far more powerful computers. This has been claimed possible by <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.dwavesys.com/">D-Wave Systems,</a> which claimed to have created two models, but as yet has not demonstrated a quantum speed increase through independent tests.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> Quantum supremacy is the point at which a quantum computer can be demonstrated to faster than a "classical" (or non-quantum) computer for any particular problem. It is expected that a quantum computer will reach quantum supremacy once it reaches the size of 45 qubits (or quantum bits).<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup> </p><p>Quantum computing is not expected to enter the PC market in the foreseeable future due to the bulk of cooling and vacuum systems needed for superconductivity. They also would be prohibitively expensive (and no quantum PCs exist yet), and wouldn't really help anything until Moore's Law ends. However, supercomputers and servers will be drastically improved by them, able to do calculations that take a classical supercomputer far longer, and drastically increasing server speed for the same reason. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: See also">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Computing_woo" title="Computing woo">Computing woo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard" title="Dvorak Simplified Keyboard">Dvorak Simplified Keyboard</a></li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: References">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2; font-size:80%;"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-1">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/07/foul-computer/">http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/07/foul-computer/</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-2">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/system/files/0608_Nature.pdf">Decoding the Antikythera Mechanism: Investigation of an Ancient Astronomical Calculator by T. Freeth <i>et al.</i></a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-3">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.itrs.net/Links/2006Update/FinalToPost/04_PIDS2006Update.pdf">2006 industry roadmap</a>, Table 40a</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-4">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/344/6190/1330.full">Quantum or not, controversial computer yields no speedup</a> by Adrian Cho (2014) <i>Science</i> Vol. 344, Issue 6190, pp. 1330-1331. DOI: 10.1126/science.344.6190.1330.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-5">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/quantum-computers-are-about-get-real?mode=magazine&context=193345">Quantum computers are about to get real. As the first qubit-based machines come online, scientists imagine the possibilities</a> by Emily Conover (7:00am, June 29, 2017) <i>Science News</i>.</span> </li> </ol></div></div>    </div></div><div class="printfooter">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Computer&oldid=2687218">https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Computer&oldid=2687218</a>"</div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Technology" title="Category:Technology">Technology</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Computer_science" title="Category:Computer science">Computer science</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden category: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Pages_using_DynamicPageList_parser_function" title="Category:Pages using DynamicPageList parser function">Pages using DynamicPageList parser function</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </div> <div id="mw-navigation"> <h2>Navigation menu</h2> <div id="mw-head">  <nav id="p-personal" class="vector-menu" aria-labelledby="p-personal-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-personal-label"> <span>Personal tools</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="pt-anonuserpage">Not logged in</li><li id="pt-anontalk"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyTalk" title="Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]" accesskey="n">Talk</a></li><li id="pt-anoncontribs"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyContributions" title="A list of edits made from this IP address [y]" accesskey="y">Contributions</a></li><li id="pt-createaccount"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Computer" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory">Create account</a></li><li id="pt-login"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Computer" title="You are encouraged to log in; however, it is not mandatory [o]" accesskey="o">Log in</a></li></ul> </div> </nav> <div id="left-navigation">  <nav id="p-namespaces" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs vectorTabs" aria-labelledby="p-namespaces-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-namespaces-label"> <span>Namespaces</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected"><a href="/wiki/Computer" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c">Page</a></li><li id="ca-talk"><a href="/wiki/Talk:Computer" rel="discussion" title="Discussion about the content page [t]" accesskey="t">Talk</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-variants" class="vector-menu-empty emptyPortlet vector-menu vector-menu-dropdown vectorMenu" aria-labelledby="p-variants-label" role="navigation" > <input type="checkbox" class="vector-menu-checkbox vectorMenuCheckbox" aria-labelledby="p-variants-label" /> <h3 id="p-variants-label"> <span>Variants</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="menu vector-menu-content-list"></ul> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation">  <nav id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs vectorTabs" aria-labelledby="p-views-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-views-label"> <span>Views</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="ca-view" class="collapsible selected"><a href="/wiki/Computer">Read</a></li><li id="ca-edit" class="collapsible"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e">Edit</a></li><li id="ca-history" class="collapsible"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=history" title="Past revisions of this page [h]" accesskey="h">Fossil record</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-cactions" class="vector-menu-empty emptyPortlet vector-menu vector-menu-dropdown vectorMenu" aria-labelledby="p-cactions-label" role="navigation" > <input type="checkbox" class="vector-menu-checkbox vectorMenuCheckbox" aria-labelledby="p-cactions-label" /> <h3 id="p-cactions-label"> <span>More</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="menu vector-menu-content-list"></ul> </div> </nav> <div id="p-search" role="search"> <h3 > <label for="searchInput">Search</label> </h3> <form action="/w/index.php" id="searchform"> <div id="simpleSearch"> <input type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search RationalWiki" title="Search RationalWiki [f]" accesskey="f" id="searchInput"/> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> <input type="submit" name="fulltext" value="Search" title="Search the pages for this text" id="mw-searchButton" class="searchButton mw-fallbackSearchButton"/> <input type="submit" name="go" value="Go" title="Go to a page with this exact name if it exists" id="searchButton" class="searchButton"/> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div id="mw-panel"> <div id="p-logo" role="banner"> <a title="Visit the main page" class="mw-wiki-logo" href="/wiki/Main_Page"></a> </div>  <nav id="p-navigation" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal portal-first" aria-labelledby="p-navigation-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-navigation-label"> <span>Navigation</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-mainpage-description"><a href="/wiki/Main_Page" title="Visit the main page [z]" accesskey="z">Main page</a></li><li id="n-recentchanges"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChanges" title="A list of recent changes in the wiki [r]" accesskey="r">Recent changes</a></li><li id="n-randompage"><a href="/wiki/Special:Random" title="Load a random mainspace article [x]" accesskey="x">Random page</a></li><li id="n-New-pages"><a href="/wiki/Special:NewPages">New pages</a></li><li id="n-All-logs"><a href="/wiki/Special:Log">All logs</a></li><li id="n-help"><a href="/wiki/Help:Contents" title="RTFM">Help</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-support" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-support-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-support-label"> <span>Support</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-Donate"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Site_support">Donate</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-community" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-community-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-community-label"> <span>Community</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-Saloon-bar"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Saloon_bar">Saloon bar</a></li><li id="n-To-do-list"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:To_do_list">To do list</a></li><li id="n-What-is-going-on.3F"><a href="/wiki/WIGO">What is going on?</a></li><li id="n-Best-of-RationalWiki"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Contents">Best of RationalWiki</a></li><li id="n-About-RationalWiki"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki">About RationalWiki</a></li><li id="n-Technical-support"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Technical_support">Technical support</a></li><li id="n-Mod-noticeboard"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki_talk:All_things_in_moderation">Mod noticeboard</a></li><li id="n-RMF-noticeboard"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki_talk:RationalMedia_Foundation">RMF noticeboard</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-Social media" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-Social media-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-Social media-label"> <span>Social media</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="n-Twitter"><a href="https://twitter.com/RationalWiki" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></li><li id="n-Mastodon"><a href="https://mstdn.social/@rationalwiki" rel="nofollow">Mastodon</a></li><li id="n-Facebook"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rationalwiki/226614404019306" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></li><li id="n-Discord"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Discord">Discord</a></li><li id="n-Reddit"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Reddit">Reddit</a></li></ul> </div> </nav>  <nav id="p-tb" class="vector-menu vector-menu-portal portal" aria-labelledby="p-tb-label" role="navigation" > <h3 id="p-tb-label"> <span>Tools</span> </h3>  <div class="body vector-menu-content">  <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"><li id="t-whatlinkshere"><a href="/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Computer" title="A list of all wiki pages that link here [j]" accesskey="j">What links here</a></li><li id="t-recentchangeslinked"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Computer" rel="nofollow" title="Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]" accesskey="k">Related changes</a></li><li id="t-specialpages"><a href="/wiki/Special:SpecialPages" title="A list of all special pages [q]" accesskey="q">Special pages</a></li><li id="t-print"><a href="javascript:print();" rel="alternate" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p">Printable version</a></li><li id="t-permalink"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&oldid=2687218" title="Permanent link to this revision of the page">Permanent link</a></li><li id="t-info"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer&action=info" title="More information about this page">Page information</a></li></ul> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" role="contentinfo" > <ul id="footer-info" > <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 16 October 2024, at 00:24.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Unless explicitly noted otherwise, all content licensed as indicated by <a name="Copyright" href="//rationalwiki.org/wiki/RationalWiki:Copyrights">RationalWiki:Copyrights</a>. <br> For concerns on copyright infringement please see: <a name="Copyright infringement" href="//rationalwiki.org/wiki/RationalWiki:Copyright_violations">RationalWiki:Copyright violations</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-places" > <li id="footer-places-privacy"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:Privacy_policy" title="RationalWiki:Privacy policy">Privacy policy</a></li> <li id="footer-places-about"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:About" class="mw-redirect" title="RationalWiki:About">About RationalWiki</a></li> <li id="footer-places-disclaimer"><a href="/wiki/RationalWiki:General_disclaimer" title="RationalWiki:General disclaimer">Disclaimers</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-icons" class="noprint"> <li id="footer-copyrightico"><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"><img src="/w/88x31.png" alt="CC-BY-SA 3.0, or any later version" width="88" height="31" loading="lazy"/></a></li> <li id="footer-poweredbyico"><a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/"><img src="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki_88x31.png" alt="Powered by MediaWiki" srcset="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x" width="88" height="31" loading="lazy"/></a></li> </ul> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </footer> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.config.set({"wgPageParseReport":{"limitreport":{"cputime":"0.113","walltime":"0.259","ppvisitednodes":{"value":659,"limit":1000000},"postexpandincludesize":{"value":8109,"limit":2097152},"templateargumentsize":{"value":1424,"limit":2097152},"expansiondepth":{"value":8,"limit":40},"expensivefunctioncount":{"value":0,"limit":100},"unstrip-depth":{"value":0,"limit":20},"unstrip-size":{"value":2302,"limit":5000000},"timingprofile":["100.00% 34.638 1 -total"," 59.81% 20.716 1 Template:Technav"," 53.05% 18.377 1 Template:Navsidebar"," 41.43% 14.349 1 Template:Randomarticles"," 11.37% 3.939 11 Template:Wpl"," 11.19% 3.875 1 Template:Reflist"," 11.13% 3.854 1 Template:Cquote"," 5.21% 1.805 1 Template:Vte"," 4.34% 1.503 1 Template:Extension_DPL"]},"cachereport":{"origin":"apache5","timestamp":"20250402160842","ttl":86400,"transientcontent":false}}});mw.config.set({"wgBackendResponseTime":56,"wgHostname":"apache5"});});</script></body></html>