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What does "PC" mean? explanation and definition
We all know what a PC is. We often forget that this is actually an abbreviation, since basically only PC is spoken of. Netzwelt explains the origin of the abbreviation.
That means PC: "Personal Computer"
PC is an acronym of the English words "personal" and "computer". That means personal calculator in German. It comes from the Latin word "computo" which means "to calculate" in German. What is meant by this is a computer that is intended for individual and personal use in everyday life. In contrast to other computers, the PC is no longer reserved for computer experts, technicians or scientists. A PC is characterized by the fact that it can be operated by anyone due to its size and capabilities.
How did the personal computer come about?
The concept of a "personal calculator" dates back to hackers in the 1970s. Ease of use and a price that private households could afford were important prerequisites for the concept, which has been technically implemented since 1976. The journalist Steven Levy writes more about the history of the invention in his book "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution".
At the beginning of the 1980s, the technology was so mature that companies and private users could finally benefit from it. This led to the boom in the IT industry. Numerous companies were founded, including Apple, IBM and Microsoft.
Over the years, more and more things have been able to be done with the PC. The British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee wrote down his idea of the WWW in 1989. For this he developed HTML, HTTP and ULI and thus made a worldwide, connected information system on the Internet possible. You can read about it in his book "Der Web-Report". In 1996 USB appeared, in 1997 DVDs, DVD drives and DVD players, and in 1999 the first WLAN followed.
If you have come across other IT abbreviations or computer terms that you are unfamiliar with on the Internet, post them in our comments and we will help you find the meaning.
