4 ms·
Before laptops became physically possible due to LCDs there were portable computers [1] (yes, I played with one my high school lab had). I suspect in the futur
by ethbro 10y ago
Before laptops became physically possible due to LCDs there were portable computers [1] (yes, I played with one my high school lab had).
I suspect in the future we'll have curious historians trying to figure out how the phrase "personal computer" ended up being shortened to "phone".
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_computer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_computer
- sevensor 10y agoI like how minicomputer used to mean "computer that's only as big as a chest freezer." Every now and then I hear laypeople use the term "mini-computer" to mean a computer that's really small by their standards, like a raspberry Pi.
- dTal 10y agoAnd then we had "microcomputers" (desktop PC sized). Rather disappointed we didn't call laptops "nanocomputers" and phones "picocomputers" :)
- bradknowles 10y agoSo, would a smartwatch be an "attocomputer"?
- lokedhs 10y agoIn Swedish, the term "stordator", literally "big computer" refers to a mainframe. I really like your idea of nano and picocomputers. It's consistent, and really reflects on the miniaturisation that we have seen since since the invention of the computer.