Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
your parents' old Windows machine down from the attic to use in
your dorm room? You could, but you might not want to. The prin
ciple of universality only says that computers can accomplish the
same tasks; it does not indicate how fast the machines will be able
to determine the results of an algorithm, how convenient they might
be to use, or what nice input and output devices they might have.
For example, any computer with the basic capabilities will have
a storage device. However, one computer may have large storage ca
pabilities, so it can hold a great deal of data before having to utilize
another CD or disk. Another computer may have very limited stor
age capabilities, so we may need to utilize several disks and swap
them back and forth frequently to store a moderate amount of in
formation. Both computers can do the same work, but one is more
convenient for the user.
Similarly, some machines may process information faster than
others. Also, some may have special processors and software to han
dle sound or pictures or multimedia materials. Such components
may allow audio or video to be edited and merged with a simple in
terface for the user and with great speed. These particular comput
ers would be more suited to your needs if you were handling multi
media components than slower computers that might require
considerable time and effort (and generate much frustration) to per
form similar tasks.
Internally, different computers utilize different CPUs and differ
ent operating systems, and thus they can run different programs.
Although the principle of universality indicates that a program writ
ten for one CPU and one operating system can be translated to run
on other CPUs and other operating systems, it does not follow that
the actual translation has been done. Your new digital camera soft
ware, for example, may run on Windows XP but not on Windows
95, and you would need to have the software translated to work on
your computer's Windows 95 operating system. The theory indi
cates the translation is possible, but that does not mean the product
is actually on the market.
Altogether, different computers may work at varying speeds,
provide different types of connections to various input and output
devices, and have different types of interfaces for the user.
Underlying these external trappings, the computers may be able to
solve the same problems and run the same algorithms, but they may
