Computing: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Originally, the word computing was synonymous with counting and calculating, and a computer was a person who computes. Since the advent of the electronic computer, it has come to also mean the operation and usage of these machines, the electrical processes carried out within the computer hardware itself, and the theoretical concepts governing them (computer science).

Science and theory

• Computer science
• Theory of computation
• DBLP May 2004: over 500 000 bibliographic entries on computer science

• Computer hardware
• Computer network
• Computer system
• History of computing hardware

• Software engineering
• Computer programming
• Software patent

• History of computing hardware
• Punch Card
• Unit record equipment
• IBM 700/7000 series
• IBM 1400 series
• System/360
• Early IBM disk storage

• Accounting software
• Computer-aided design
• Computer-aided manufacturing
• Computer-assisted dispatch
• Customer relationship management
• Data warehouse
• Decision support system
• Electronic data processing
• Enterprise resource planning
• Geographic information system
• Management information system
• Material resource planning
• Strategic enterprise management
• Supply chain management

• Accessible computing
• Human-computer interaction

• Cryptology - cryptography - information theory
• Cracking - demon dialing - Hacking - war dialing - war driving
• Social engineering - Dumpster diving
• Physical security - Black bag job
• Computer insecurity
• Computer surveillance
• defensive programming
• malware
• security engineering

Numeric Data

• integral data types - bit, byte, etc.
• real data types:
  • Floating point (Single Precision, Double Precision, etc.)
  • Fixed point
  • Rational number ("Infinite" Precision)
• Decimal
  • Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)
  • Excess-3 BCD (XS-3)
  • Biquinary Coded Decimal
• representation: Binary - Octal - Decimal - Hexadecimal (hex)
• Computer mathematics - Computer numbering formats -

Character Data

• storage: Character - String - Text - Plain text
  • representation: ASCII - Unicode - Multibyte - EBCDIC (Widecharacter, Multicharacter) - Fieldata - Baudot

Other Data Topics

• Data compression
• Digital signal processing
• Image processing
• Indexed

• Punch card
• Key punch
• Unit record equipment

• Analog computer
• Calculator
• Desktop computer
• Desknote
• Digital computer
• Embedded computer
• Home computer
• Laptop
• Mainframe
• Minicomputer
• Microcomputer
• Personal computer
• Personal digital assistant (aka PDA, or Handheld computer)
• Server
• Supercomputer
• Tablet PC
• Video game console
• Workstation

• Apple Computer
• Dell
• Fujitsu
• Gateway Computers
• Hewlett-Packard
• IBM
• Microsoft
• Silicon Graphics
• Sun Microsystems
• Unisys

• Bendix
• Bull
• Burroughs
• Compaq
• Control Data
• Cray
• Data General
• DEC
• Digital Research - a software company for the early microprocessor-based computers
• English Electric
• Ferranti
• General Electric
• Honeywell
  • ICL
• Leo
• Marconi
• Osborne
• Packard Bell
• Raytheon
• Royal McBee
• RCA
• Scientific Data Systems
• Univac
• Varian
• Wang

• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• British Computer Society (BCS)
• Association for Survey Computing (ASC)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), in particular the IEEE Computer Society
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

• List of computer term etymologies