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A '''personal computer''' is a general-purpose [[computer]] whose size, capabilities and original sale price make it useful for individuals, and is intended to be operated directly by an [[User (computing)|end-user]] with no intervening computer operator.

== Description ==

A related term is "PC" that was initially an acronym for "personal computer", but later became used primarily to refer to computers running [[Microsoft Windows]].

Since the early 1990s, Microsoft operating systems and Intel hardware have dominated much of the personal computer market, first with MS-DOS and then with Windows.

Popular alternatives to Microsoft's Windows operating systems include [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[OS X]] and free open-source [[Unix-like]] operating systems such as [[Linux]] and [[Berkeley Software Distribution]] (BSD).

AMD provides the major alternative to Intel's processors.

== Larger computers ==

Larger, more expensive minicomputer and mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time.

== See also ==

* [[Computer]]
* [[Computing]]
* [[Operating system]]
* [[User (computing)]]

== External links ==

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer Personal computer] @ Wikipedia

[[Category:Computer science]]