Editing Microcomputer (section)

{{short description|Small computer with a CPU made out of a microprocessor}}
{{redirect|Microcomputing|the hobbyist magazine|Kilobaud Microcomputing{{!}}''Kilobaud Microcomputing''}}
{{for|a [[wikt:micro-|small]] computer on an [[integrated circuit]]|microcontroller}}

[[File:Commodore-64-Computer-FL.jpg|thumb|The [[Commodore 64]] was one of the most popular microcomputers of its era, and is the best-selling model of [[home computer]]s of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2003/09/grandiose-price-for-a-modest-pc/|title=Grandiose Price for a Modest PC|last=Kahney|first=Leander|author-link=Leander Kahney|date=2003-09-09|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|access-date=2019-11-04}}</ref>]]
[[File:Raspberry Pi 4 Model B - Side.jpg|thumb|[[Raspberry Pi]], a popular modern-class microcomputer]]

A '''microcomputer''' is a small, relatively inexpensive [[computer]] having a [[central processing unit]] (CPU) made out of a [[microprocessor]].<ref>{{cite dictionary | title=Microcomputer | dictionary=dictionary.com | url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/microcomputer}}</ref> The computer also includes [[Computer memory|memory]] and [[input/output]] (I/O) circuitry together mounted on a [[printed circuit board]] (PCB).<ref>{{cite journal
 |first1 = Williman
 |last1 = A.O.
 |first2 = H.J.
 |last2 = Jelinek
 |title = Special Tutorial: Introduction to LSI Microprocessor Developments
 |journal = Computer
 |volume = 9
 |issue = Computer
 |publisher = IEEE
 |page = 37
 |doi = 10.1109/C-M.1976.218612 
 |date = June 1976 
|s2cid = 11184882
 }}</ref> Microcomputers became popular in the 1970s and 1980s with the advent of increasingly powerful microprocessors. The predecessors to these computers, [[mainframe computer|mainframe]]s and [[minicomputer]]s, were comparatively much larger and more expensive (though indeed present-day mainframes such as the [[IBM System z]] machines use one or more custom microprocessors as their CPUs). Many microcomputers (when equipped with a [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]] and [[Computer monitor|screen]] for input and output) are also [[personal computer]]s (in the generic sense). An early use of the term "personal computer" in 1962 predates microprocessor-based designs. ''(See "Personal Computer: Computers at Companies" reference below)''. A "microcomputer" used as an embedded control system may have no human-readable input and output devices. "Personal computer" may be used generically or may denote an [[IBM PC compatible]] machine.

The abbreviation "micro" was common during the 1970s and 1980s,<ref name="microvalid">Proof of "micro" as a once-common term:<br />(i) Direct reference: Graham Kibble-White, [http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/oldott/www.offthetelly.co.uk/index7943.html?page_id=568 "Stand by for a Data-Blast"], Off the Telly. Article written December 2005, retrieved 2006-12-15.<br />(ii) Usage in the titles of [[Christopher Evans (computer scientist)|Christopher Evans]]' books [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0340259752 "The Mighty Micro"] ({{ISBN|0-340-25975-2}}) and [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0340259752 "The Making of the Micro"] ({{ISBN|0-575-02913-7}}). Other books include Usborne's [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0860206378 "Understanding the Micro"] ({{ISBN|0-86020-637-8}}), a children's guide to microcomputers.</ref> but has since fallen out of common usage.