Next: Flynn's Taxonomy of Computer
Up: Introduction
Previous: Introduction
Contents
Four Decades of Computing
Most computer scientists agree that there have been four distinct paradigms or eras of computing. These are: batch, time-sharing, desktop, and network.
- Batch Era
- Time-Sharing Era
- Desktop Era
- Network Era. They can generally be classified into two main categories: (1) shared memory, and (2) distributed memory systems. The
number of processors in a single machine ranged from several in a shared memory computer to hundreds of thousands in a massively parallel system. Examples of parallel computers during this era include Sequent Symmetry, Intel iPSC, nCUBE, Intel Paragon, Thinking Machines (CM-2, CM-5), MsPar (MP), Fujitsu (VPP500), and others.
- Current Trends: Clusters, Grids.
Cem Ozdogan
2006-12-27