Over the years, Information Technology (IT) and computing, have taken many unexpected turns. When the world first started using computers, the machines were so big that they took up considerable amounts of room. Additionally, because they were so new, only a few select employees in an organization, actually new how to use them. These select people were in charge of maintaining them and among other things, the production of reports from the data that these colossal machines held. As the years passed, the power of these machines grew, as did the people's awareness of how to utilize them. Today, computers are an integral part of our business as well as our personal lives. .
With the emergence of these computers in our lives, the demand for faster and more accurate information sharing became the mission of the computer industry. Two such methodologies that developed to supply this demand are Mainframe computers and PC (Client/Servers) architectures. Both have their own advantages. What is presented below is a brief assessment of the choices between them. .
"Mainframes are very large and expensive computers capable of supporting hundreds, or even thousands of users at the same time." "A PC can be described as a small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for an individual user or a group of users (i.e. Client/Server) (Mike Heston, 2001)." .
A few advantages that a Mainframe system offers can be identified as:.
Redundancy and serviceability features built in.
Mainframes are better optimized for disk storage and I/O.
Centralized administration and allocation of resources is much easier.
A few advantages that a PC or Client/Server system offers can be identified as:.
Cost (generally cheaper).
Size and Flexibility .
Distributed processing between PCs results in faster and more efficient productivity.
You might wonder; "Which one is better, Mainframe or PC?" The answer to this question depends on whom you ask.
