На английском ответ на вопрос: что означает термин "компьютер"

In everyday and technical use, a computer is a general-purpose, programmable electronic device that takes input, processes it according to a set of instructions (a program), stores data, and produces output.

A clear way to think about it is in four steps:

1. Input — information or signals come in (keyboard, touchscreen, sensors, network).

2. Processing — a central processor carries out instructions that transform the data.

3. Storage — data and instructions are kept in memory (short-term RAM) and long-term storage (SSD/HDD/flash).

4. Output — results are delivered (display, audio, printer, network, actuators).

Key points behind the term:

• Programmable: You can load different programs to make the same machine perform completely different tasks (write a document, render video, simulate weather, control a robot).

• General-purpose: Unlike a single-function device, a computer can, in principle, perform any computation that can be described algorithmically (this is the idea behind “Turing-complete” systems).

• Hardware + software: The physical components (CPU, GPU, memory, storage, motherboard, power, I/O devices) work together under the control of software (operating systems like Windows, macOS, Linux; applications; firmware).

• Digital logic: Modern computers represent and manipulate information as binary digits (bits) using electronic circuits.

What counts as a “computer” spans a wide range:

• Personal computers: desktops, laptops, workstations.

• Mobile/embedded systems: smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, car ECUs, routers, industrial controllers—these are all computers tailored to specific roles.

• Servers and cloud machines: computers optimized to provide services to many users over networks.

• Supercomputers: massively parallel systems designed for extremely high-performance tasks (e.g., climate modeling, cryptanalysis, AI training).

• Microcontrollers and single-board computers: tiny, low-power computers embedded in appliances and devices.

Historically, the word “computer” originally referred to a person who performed calculations by hand; with the advent of electronic, programmable machines in the mid-20th century, the term shifted to the devices themselves. Today, when people say “computer,” they usually mean an electronic, programmable system that processes data automatically and can be repurposed by changing its software.