Who Does the Processing? — TechKnowSurge

About this interactive

The Mainframes vs PCs vs Macs lesson starts with the mainframe, a big system that did all the processing for a company. People reached it through terminals: a keyboard and screen with no processor of its own. Press A, and the A goes to the mainframe, is processed there, and is sent back to your screen. The microprocessor changed that. A personal computer, a PC, has its own processor, personal to the person using it. The Mac had its own processor too; it was never called a PC because it never needed telling apart from a mainframe setup. Terminal emulation brings the old pattern back on purpose. A program such as PuTTY, Tera Term or SecureCRT makes a PC act like a terminal over a serial connection, often RS-232, to a mainframe or to equipment such as a Cisco switch. Each keystroke goes to that device, which works out the reply. Sort each card. Five right in a row finishes the round.

What you'll learn

Decide whether the processing for a task happens on the device in front of the user (a PC or Mac with its own processor) or on the machine at the other end (a mainframe reached from a terminal, or equipment reached through a terminal emulator)

Aligned to

CompTIA Tech+

2.6 Compare and contrast common computing devices and their purposes.

Key terms

Mainframe: A large, centralized computer system used to process and manage data for many users simultaneously, historically accessed through terminals rather than personal devices.
Terminal Emulator: Software that simulates a physical terminal session, allowing a technician to remotely access and enter commands on a network device.
Personal Computer: A general-purpose computing device designed for individual use, typically consisting of a CPU, RAM, storage, display, and input devices in a desktop or laptop form factor. PCs run general-purpose operating systems and can run a wide variety of software applications.

Topics

Mainframes Terminals Terminal Emulation Personal Computers Interactive Streak Sort

About TechKnowSurge

TechKnowSurge builds IT and cybersecurity professionals through hands-on, concept-first training built around real understanding — not memorization. Free interactive tools, structured programs, and 25+ years of real-world experience, all in one place.

Explore free tools and programs →