Advantages of Laptops

Multiple Uses
By their nature, portable computers are generally much more useful than desktops. Except for a mere handful of exceptions, portables can do anything that a desktop can, plus a range of other tasks that would be impossible for desktops.

The chief strength of the portable is its freedom from the desk. It can be used almost anywhere. Indeed, anywhere a human can go without protective clothing, so can a laptop.

Some uses for a laptop would not even make sense for a desktop. For example, an increasing number of notebook computers are being equipped with GPS antennas and mapping software. The same could be done with desktops, of course, but with much less interesting results.

Hardware Components of a PC

One of the great strengths of the PC architecture is that it is extensible, allowing a great variety of components to be added, thereby permitting the PC to perform functions its designers may never have envisioned. However, most PCs include a more-or-less standard set of components, including the following:

Firmware Components and the PC BIOS

Firmware is a special class of software, so called because it is more or less permanently stored on chips. Firmware is often referred to generically as a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) because the only firmware contained in early PCs was the main system ROM-BIOS (Read-Only Memory BIOS). That’s no longer true. Nearly every component in a modern PC contains its own firmware. Disk drives, SCSI host adapters, video cards, sound cards, keyboards, and most other devices contain firmware, and nowadays that firmware is seldom read-only.

Software Components of a PC

Many people think of a PC as comprising solely physical hardware, but hardware is just a useless pile of silicon, metal, and plastic unless you have software to make it do something. Software is a set of detailed instructions that allow a computer to perform a task or group of tasks. Software is usually categorized as being one of three types:

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Using GPS, you can find out precisely where you are on earth, and, when equipped with the appropriate mapping software, you can get driving instructions to bring you to your destination.