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Thin vs. fat clients
===Embedded===
===Embedded===
Embedded computers are controllers built into the device they control. These are found in digital wrist watches, [[car]]s, landline telephones, some [[Printer (computing)|printers]] (with embedded print servers), and more.<ref name="WorldBook01"/>
Embedded computers are controllers built into the device they control. These are found in digital wrist watches, [[car]]s, landline telephones, some [[Printer (computing)|printers]] (with embedded print servers), and more.<ref name="WorldBook01"/>
==Thin vs. fat clients==
"Fat clients" are client terminals which can process data themselves, without requiring a remote server or mainframe. Personal computers, for example, are fat clients, since they process data on their own. "Thin clients" are user terminals which do little or no data processing themselves. These are much less common than they have been in the recent past. In older systems, client terminals were little more than links to a mainframe. The user would enter a command and set of data in the terminal, and it would be passed on the mainframe. The mainframe would then store, retrieve, or process the data as needed, and return anything needed to the terminal.<br />
The newer client-server architecture has largely done away with this thin clients, but some networks still use this sort of system. Sometimes, there is no operating system or local storage at all on a client "computer." Everything done is downloaded from and uploaded to a central server. Most people now use "fat clients," which only occasionally need to communicate with a server.
==Binary and ternary==
==Binary and ternary==
Binary has always been used by computers and is somewhat familiar to most. However, some of the newest supercomputers now use ternary systems.
Binary has always been used by computers and is somewhat familiar to most. However, some of the newest supercomputers now use ternary systems.
===Binary===
===Binary===
Since the beginning of the digital computer, and even before this (when computers were mechanical), computers have always used "ones" and "zeros" for every calculation and operation.
Since the beginning of the digital computer, and even before this (when computers were mechanical), computers have always used "ones" and "zeros" for every calculation and operation.