When I hear the word “computer”, my mind instantly goes to my computer at home, of which I am convinced is possessed. It seems that any time I need to type up some important paper for school on it or get on the internet, it freezes, prompting me to yell at it and angrily push the restart button. Yes, I am sure that my computer hates me, and I know that a lot of other people share my frustration with their computers. On the other hand, I am quite happy with my Timex wrist watch, which is also a computer. Wait, so what exactly is a computer?

A computer, in very broad terms, is something that takes input, processes it, and provides output. By this definition, almost anything is a computer. People are computers because we take in knowledge, process it, and provide output through actions or language. A sundial is a computer because it takes sunlight, redirects it in a certain direction, and produces a shadow in which time can be determined. A tree is a computer because it takes in sun/nutrients, transforms them into fuel, and produces leaves (and sometimes fruit). A rock, however, is not a computer. A trebuchet throwing rocks is a computer, but I haven’t yet come across a rock that takes input, processes it, and provides output.

Granted, this is a very general definition of a computer. It would be very confusing if people went around saying “Hey man, come check out the new rims I put on my computer!” when referring to their car. To help us with naming and describing computers, we can classify them with three important distinctions: electronic or mechanical, general purpose or special purpose, and digital or analog.

The first distinction we can make with computers: is it electronic or is it mechanical? In simpler terms, this means is it built from transistors and circuits and runs on electric current, or is it built mechanically from such things as springs and levers? Take my Timex watch (complete with alarm, stopwatch, and Indiglo night-light) for example. My modern watch is comprised of electronic components and is run from a battery, unlike its ancestor, the wind-up watch. This makes it electronic.

Now we move on to the second distinction: does it have a general purpose or a special purpose? Meaning, is it designed with a broad usage, or is it designed to be used in a limited or specific way? My watch exists for the purpose of displaying the current time, along with the date and other time-related properties. It has a special purpose.

The third distinction: is the computer digital or analog? Does the computer process information and give output in specific or discreet measurement intervals, or in a continuous flow? Think cassette tape. A cassette tape is analog because it plays continuously, unlike the CD, in which information is grouped in tracks. As for my watch, it’s digital.

Now with all that said, I’m sure that those people who share my frustration with my electronic, special purpose, digital word processing computer (which now runs on a real operating system) are also equally happy with their watches, because these computers don’t freeze on you without warning… until their batteries are dead. And the extra-added bonus: besides being wonderfully dependable (functions up to 100 meters under water and in the dark), my Timex watch also only costs close to $30, compared to the near $1,000 we paid for our Dell pc and all its accessories.

posted on 27 April 2003