Editing Workstation (section)

{{short description|High-end single-user computer}}
{{about|the type of computer||Work station (disambiguation){{!}}Work station}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2024}}
[[File:NEXT Cube-IMG 7157.jpg|thumb|A [[NeXTcube]] workstation, the same type on which the [[World Wide Web]] was created by [[Tim Berners-Lee]] at [[CERN]] in [[Switzerland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/original-next-computer-used-by-sir-tim-berners-lee-to-design-the-world-wide-web-next/6QHcxbuGnQ4rng|title=Original NeXT computer used by Sir Tim Berners-Lee to design the World Wide Web - NeXT|website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref>]]

A '''workstation''' is a special computer designed for technical or [[computational science|scientific]] applications.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=workstation {{!}} Definition & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/workstation |encyclopedia=Britannica |access-date=2021-12-05}}</ref> Intended primarily to be used by a single user,<ref name=":0" /> they are commonly connected to a [[local area network]] and run [[multi-user]] [[operating system]]s. The term ''workstation'' has been used loosely to refer to everything from a [[mainframe computer]] terminal to a [[Personal computer|PC]] connected to a [[Computer network|network]], but the most common form refers to the class of hardware offered by several current and defunct companies such as [[Sun Microsystems]],<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bechtolsheim|first1=Andreas|last2=Baskett|first2=Forest|title=Proceedings of the 7th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques - SIGGRAPH '80 |chapter=High-performance raster graphics for microcomputer systems |date=1980|chapter-url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/800250.807466|pages=43–47|location=New York, New York, USA|publisher=ACM Press|doi=10.1145/800250.807466|isbn=0897910214|s2cid=12045240}}</ref> [[Silicon Graphics]], [[Apollo Computer]],<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 2018|title=US and India sign neutrino pact|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2058-7058/31/5/23|journal=Physics World|volume=31|issue=5|page=13|doi=10.1088/2058-7058/31/5/23|issn=0953-8585|url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]], [[HP Inc.|HP]], [[NeXT]], and [[IBM]] which powered the [[3D computer graphics]] revolution of the late 1990s.<ref name=":2">{{Cite report |last1=Johnson |first1=Karen |last2=Fairless |first2=Tami |last3=Giangrande |first3=Scott |date=2020-08-01 |title=Ka-Band ARM Zenith Radar Corrections (KAZRCOR, KAZRCFRCOR) Value-Added Products |doi=10.2172/1647336 |osti=1647336 |s2cid=242933956 |url=https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1647336/}}</ref>

Workstations formerly offered higher performance than mainstream [[personal computer]]s, especially in [[Central processing unit|CPU]], [[Graphics processing unit|graphics]], memory, and multitasking. Workstations are optimized for the [[Visualization (graphics)|visualization]] and manipulation of different types of complex data such as 3D mechanical design, engineering simulations like [[computational fluid dynamics]], [[computer animation|animation]], [[video editing]], [[image editing]], [[medical imaging]], image rendering, [[computational science]], generating [[plot (graphics)| mathematical plots]], and [[software development]]. Typically, the [[Form factor (design)|form factor]] is that of a [[desktop computer]], which consists of a high-resolution display, a [[computer keyboard|keyboard]], and a [[Computer mouse|mouse]] at a minimum, but also offers multiple displays, [[graphics tablet]]s, and [[Computer mouse|3D mice]] for manipulating objects and navigating scenes.  Workstations were the first segment of the computer market<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210623005540/en/Global-Personal-Computers-Market-Report-2021-to-2030---COVID-19-Impact-and-Recovery---ResearchAndMarkets.com |title=Global Personal Computers Market Report (2021 to 2030) - COVID-19 Impact and Recovery - ResearchAndMarkets.com |publisher=Business Wire |date=2021-06-23 |accessdate=2022-09-07}}</ref> to present advanced accessories, and collaboration tools like [[videoconferencing]].<ref name=":2" />

The increasing capabilities of mainstream PCs since the late 1990s have reduced distinction between the PCs and workstations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Workstation Computer |url=https://www.oidairweb.online/2021/06/workstation-computer.html |work=OIDair WEB |language=en |access-date=2021-12-05 |archive-date=2021-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205163525/https://www.oidairweb.online/2021/06/workstation-computer.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Typical 1980s workstations have expensive proprietary hardware and operating systems to categorically distinguish from standardized PCs. From the 1990s and 2000s, [[IBM]]'s [[RS/6000]] and [[IntelliStation]] have [[RISC]]-based [[IBM Power microprocessors|POWER]] CPUs running [[AIX]], versus its corporate [[IBM PC Series]] and consumer [[IBM Aptiva|Aptiva]] PCs that have Intel x86 CPUs and usually running [[Microsoft Windows]]. However, by the early 2000s, this difference largely disappeared, since workstations use highly [[Commoditization|commoditized]] hardware dominated by large PC vendors, such as [[Dell]], [[HP Inc.]], and [[Fujitsu]], selling [[x86-64]] systems running [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] or [[Linux]].