Computers communicate globally via satellite or fiber optic links, wide area networks share resources thousands of miles away, and the average home can have the capacity of access information at the push of a button - the digital information age has arrived! Several technologies have made this computer age possible, helped it grow, and affected its dynamics over time. This book addresses the problem of formulating a model that interrelates the factors that drive the supply of these technologies over time to the attributes of the computers that are manufactured from them.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1 Introduction. - 1. 1 Problem Statement. - 1. 2 Computer Technologies. - 1. 3 Computer Systems and Workstations. - 1. 4 Contributions. - 1. 5 Key Findings. - 1. 6 Outline and Summary. - 2 Definitions, Terminology, and Concepts. - 2. 1 The Workstation. - 2. 2 Semiconductor ICs. - 2. 3 Magnetic Hard Disks. - 2. 4 Color CRT Displays. - 2. 5 UNIX Operating System. - 3 Workstation Supply Models. - 3. 1 Simulation Overview. - 3. 2 ICs Supply Model: Microprocessors and DRAMs. - 3. 3 Magnetic Hard Disk Supply Model. - 3. 4 Color CRT Display Supply Model. - 3. 5 UNIX Operating System Supply Model. - 3. 6 Workstation Assembly Model. - 4 Model Behavior and Sensitivity Results. - 4. 1 Component Cost, Single Unit Price, and Bulk Price. - 4. 2 Component Supply Model Inputs. - 4. 3 ICs: Model Results and Actual Market Data. - 4. 4 Magnetic Storage: Model Results and Actual Market Data. - 4. 5 Color CRT Display: Model Results and Actual Market Data. - 4. 6 UNIX: Model Results and Actual Market Data. - 4. 7 Workstation Assembly Model: Inputs and Projected Results. - 4. 8 Sensitivity Analyses. - 5 Conclusions and Suggestions for Future Research. - 5. 1 Suggestions for Future Research. - 5. 2 Final Comments. - References.
