Microprocessing

The " term; microphone-informatique"

The microprocessing is a general term indicating all that has relationship with the Ordinateur S indicated under the term of microcomputers.

The prefix " micro" is due to the fact that at the time of its appearance, there existed already since years 1940 of the host computers which held in vast engine rooms and since years 1960 of the minicomputers. This prefix is also the prerogative of the type of processors which allowed the creation and the marketing of microcomputers.

In the context of the time, the designation of the microcomputer under name " computer personnel" is for this reason very precise. Indeed, the whole of the microcomputer, i.e. the unit processor, the console keyboard-screen and its peripheral units (discs, printer), held on a table and was at the disposal only of one user at the same time. In France, with the beginning of the year 1980, the " term; computer individuel" was also employed; it remained besides like titrates of a data-processing magazine.

Since the end of the year 1970 until our days, microprocessing caused to introduce data processing into the small and medium-size companies and at the private individuals. It should be noted that this democratization would have been slowed down considerably if IBM had patented the components of its Personal Computer. Indeed, the appearance of easily extensible compatible machines and the mass market made it possible to have generic components increasingly more powerful and cheap. That precipitated the end of the host computers and the minicomputers which are replaced by farms of waiters even by grids of calculation massively parallel; and finally that often allowed the blossoming of a local industry of the software whose Microsoft company is more the good example.

Microprocessing and the " PC"

Since the resumption of the " term; Personal Computer" (personal computer) by IBM like name of its first microcomputer and the success which was followed from there via the democratization of this model by compatible models, the term is canted since nowadays, a " PC" is only compared to a computer in the line of the model of IBM and most of the time functioning with Microsoft Windows; that whereas the term recovers in fact all the microcomputers active of the R2E Micral in Apple Macintosh. But the market share of the PC compatibles became with the wire of time so important that it is necessary little of it to be able to say that a personal computer is inevitably a PC.

Microprocessing and History

Microcomputers having marked their time

  • Professional

  • 1976: APPLE I
    • 1981
      • IBM PC (mP Intel 8088/4,77, 16 KB, monochromic)
    • 1986
      • Compaq DeskPro 386 (mP Intel 80386/16, 640 KB, color)
    • 1987
      • Portable Compaq III (mP Intel 80286/12, 640 KB, color)
  • Semi-pro and domestic
    • 1977
      • APPLE II (mP 6502/1, 4 KB, monochromic)
      • Commodore FART (mP 6502/1, 4 KB, monochromic)
      • Tandy TRS-80 (mP Z80/1,77, 4 KB, monochromic)
    • 1980
      • Commodore VIC-20 (mP 6502/1, 4 KB, color)
    • 1982
      • Commodore 64 (mP 6510/~1, 64 KB, color)
    • 1983
      • Oric-1 (mP 6502/1, 48Ko, color)
      • Sinclair Spectrum (mP Z80, 48 KB, color)
    • 1984
      • Amstrad CPC464 (mP Z80A/4, 64 KB, color)
    • 1985
      • Atari 520 ST (mP MC68000/8, 512 KB, color)
      • Commodore Amiga 500 (mP MC68000/7+, 512 KB, color)
    • 1986
      • Atari 1040 STf (mP MC68000/8, 1 Mo, color)
      • Oric Téléstrat (mP 6502A/1, 64 KB, color)

Printers having marked their times

  • 1984
    • Epson RX/LX80 (9 needles with ribbon, monochromic)
    • Seikosha GP100 (9 needles with ribbon, monochromic)
  • 1988
    • HP LaserJet II (Laser 300 dpi, monochromic, 2 ppm)
  • 1989
    • HP Deskjet 500 (Jet of ink 300 dpi, monochromic, 2 ppm, PCL3)
  • 1990
    • HP Laserjet III (Laser 300 dpi, monochromic, 8 ppm, PCL 3)
  • 1992
    • HP Laserjet IV (Laser 600 dpi, monochromic, 8 ppm)
  • 1995
    • HP Laserjet V (Laser 600 dpi, monochromic, 16 ppm)

Expander cards having marked their time

  • APPLE II
    • Graphics card color " Mauve" cat;
    • Chart Z80 processor known as " CP/M" chart; of Microsoft (1983)
  • PC compatibles
    • Chart its " AD Lib" of Personal Computer System (1987)
    • Chart its " SoundBlaster 2.0" of Creative Labs (1991)
    • Chart its " SoundBlaster" 16 of Creative Labs (1992)
    • Chart girl SB16 synthetizer MIDDAY " WaveBlaster" of Creative Labs (1993)
    • Chart network EtherLink III 10bT of 3Com

microprocessing and future

The arrival of Internet network made it possible to disenclose the personal computers by making them communicate and by enormously offering new services to their owners. Such an amount of and so that certain formerly autonomous apparatuses became natural peripherals the digitalization of the formats helping (photography, videos or walkmans musical). However it should be recognized that the market changes subtly since the personal computing niche now in many machines which were formerly deprived by it the such telephone or the car. More and more of applications are not lodged any more but downloaded with the request on the machine customer even do not turn straightforwardly above any more but on a distant waiter. The currency of the company Sun Microsystem was " a long time; the computer, it is the réseau" and it seems well that one sets out there gently. However, vis-a-vis the possible oligarchical drifts of the companies of the mother of all networks, the traditional microcomputer remains a pillar of the individual freedom for little which one can make use of it.

Microprocessing in the familiar language

Microcomputer:
  • a " ordi"
  • a " micro"

PC compatible:

  • a " PC"

Apple Macintosh:

  • a " Mac"

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