Mainframes vs PC's.

The first obvious difference between a PC and a Mainframe is their size or "footprint". A pc is about 18" square and maybe 8" wide. Most people could take one apart with little or no training and install a new component like a modem or sound card. You can go buy a PC at most computer stores for less than $1500 and have a relatively powerful machine. In contrast Mainframes are very expensive, large in size, and your …

…we will continue to see the coexistence of both the pc and mainframe each playing an important role and being used to fulfill a particular role based on such factors as cost, performance and reliability. In ten or twenty years we may see pc's and mainframes replaced by some other technological advancement with the emergence of something that is not quite mainframe or pc but a hybrid that can fulfill the role of both machines.