Serial computer - Revision history

Jnc: Clarify that example is for binary machines

2024-05-12T23:00:28Z

Clarify that example is for binary machines

Jnc: In reality they were not actually that economical

2024-05-12T10:02:45Z

In reality they were not actually that economical

Jnc: Improve description a bit

2024-03-29T16:23:58Z

Improve description a bit

Jnc: typo

2023-06-02T22:19:37Z

typo

Jnc: +links

2021-08-05T14:22:52Z

+links

Jnc: +cat

2018-12-13T03:05:26Z

+cat

Jnc: Proper cat

2018-10-18T14:24:12Z

Proper cat

Jnc: Typo

2018-09-04T14:57:17Z

Typo

Jnc: An OK start

2018-09-04T12:22:14Z

An OK start

New page

A '''serial computer''' is one which uses a serial implemention, rather than the more common parallel.

For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.

Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but take fewer componenent, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and bulky.

{{stub}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 A '''serial computer''' is one which uses a [[serial]] implementation for operations on larger units of data (e.g. the addition of two numbers), rather than the more common [[parallel]].
-For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.
+For example, in a serial machine which is [[binary]] internally, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.
-Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, and have more complex control [[logic]], but seemingly used fewer components - an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive, and physically bulky. In reality, due to their complexity, they were not actually as economical in their use of components as it had been thought they would be; their greater complexity, and slower speed, turned out to be too high a price to pay for their somewhat limited component counts.
+Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower than [[parallel computer]]s, and have more complex control [[logic]], but seemingly used fewer components - an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive, and physically bulky. In reality, due to their complexity, they were not actually as economical in their use of components as it had been thought they would be; their greater complexity, and slower speed, turned out to be too high a price to pay for their somewhat limited component counts.
 {{semi-stub}}
+<!--
 ==See also==
+-->
 [[Category: Hardware Basics‎‎]]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.
-Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, and have more complex control [[logic]], but use fewer components - an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and physically bulky.
+Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, and have more complex control [[logic]], but seemingly used fewer components - an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive, and physically bulky. In reality, due to their complexity, they were not actually as economical in their use of components as it had been thought they would be; their greater complexity, and slower speed, turned out to be too high a price to pay for their somewhat limited component counts.
 {{semi-stub}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-A '''serial computer''' is one which uses a [[serial]] implemention, rather than the more common [[parallel]].
+A '''serial computer''' is one which uses a [[serial]] implementation for operations on larger units of data (e.g. the addition of two numbers), rather than the more common [[parallel]].
 For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.
-Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but use fewer components, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and physically bulky.
+Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, and have more complex control [[logic]], but use fewer components - an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and physically bulky.
 {{semi-stub}}
 [[Category: Hardware Basics‎‎]]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.
-Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but use fewer componenents, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and physically bulky.
+Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but use fewer components, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and physically bulky.
 {{semi-stub}}
 [[Category: Hardware Basics‎‎]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 5 August 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	A '''serial computer''' is one which uses a serial implemention, rather than the more common parallel.	+	A '''serial computer''' is one which uses a [[serial]] implemention, rather than the more common [[parallel]].

	For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.		For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:24, 18 October 2018
Line 5:		Line 5:
	Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but use fewer componenents, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and bulky.		Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but use fewer componenents, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and bulky.

−	{{stub}}	+	{{semi-stub}}

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 For example, instead of a [[word]]-wide [[adder]], there is only a single-[[bit]] adder, and to add two numbers, they are fed into it a bit at a time, one bit on each [[clock]] tick, starting with the least significant bit.
-Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but take fewer componenent, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and bulky.
+Serial computers were more common in the early stages of computing; they are slower, but use fewer componenents, an acceptable trade-off at that stage, when the technology (e.g. [[vacuum tube]]s) was more expensive and bulky.
 {{stub}}