Computer

A computer is a device or for processing information from data according to a program — a compiled list of instructions. The information to be processed may represent numbers, text, pictures, or sound, amongst many other types.

Computing professions and disciplines

In the developed world at least, there is scarcely a profession that does not make use of computers. However, certain professional and academic disciplines have evolved that specialise in techniques to construct, program, and use computers. Terminology for different professional disciplines is still somewhat fluid and new fields emerge from time to time: however, some of the major groupings are as follows:

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• Computer engineering is that branch of electronic engineering devoted to the physical construction of computers and their attendant components.
• Computer science is an academic study of the processes related to computation, such as developing efficient algorithms to perform specific tasks. It has tackled questions as to whether problems can be solved at all using a computer, how efficiently they can be solved, and how to construct efficient programs to compute solutions. A huge array of specialities has developed within computer science to investigate different classes of problem.
• Software engineering concentrates on methodologies and practices to allow the development of reliable software systems while minimising, and reliably estimating, costs and timelines.
• Information systems concentrates on the use and deployment of computer systems in a wider organizational (usually business) context.
• A huge number of disciplines have developed at the intersection of computers with other professions; one of many examples is experts in geographical information systems who apply computer technology to problems of managing geographical information.