Main index

Introducing UNIX and Linux

The Computing Environment

Overview
What is a Computer?
Hardware
      Processors
      Input Devices
      Output Devices
Software
      Input and Characters
            Control Characters
      Application Programs
            Programming Languages
      The Operating System
      System Administration
History of UNIX and Linux
Conventions
Summary

Processors

The most important part of the overall system is the processor (or CPU - Central Processing Unit) on which the computer is based, and which does the main work of the system. In recent years, the advance of the PC has been fuelled by progress in such processors, which are becoming ever faster and more powerful. In PCs, these have included the series of Pentium processors developed by Intel, with alternatives from companies like AMD. Other computers have different processors, like Sun's SPARC processor. Whichever processor your machine uses is not important for now - there may be variations in speed and power, as well as in some other more technical differences, but the key point to note is that this is the main component of the machine.