'''Centralized computing''' is computing done at a central ___location, using [[Computer terminal|terminals]] that are attached to a central computer. The computer itself may control all the [[peripheral]]s directly (if they are physically connected to the central computer), or they may be attached via a [[terminal server]]. Alternatively, if the terminals have the capability, they may be able to connect to the central computer over the network. The terminals may be [[text terminal]]s or [[thin client]]s, for example.<ref>http://www.csrtechnologygroup.com/downloads/CentralizedComputingSystemsWhitePaper.pdf</ref>
Centralized Computing can come in many forms and include various types of equipment; however there is always a central computer, usually a server that has a good amount of memory and processing power, as well as thin clients with a keyboard and mouse as well as a monitor attached. Thin clients rarely have a hard drive to store data or much processing power or memory. Since all the data is processed at the central computer, we only need enough hardware to transmit the keystrokes and mouse inputs to the computer and enough to receive it back to the monitor.
It offers greater [[security]] over [[Decentralized computing|decentralized systems]] because all of the [[Process (computing)|processing]] is controlled in a central ___location. In addition, if one terminal breaks down, the user can simply go to another terminal and [[log in]] again, and all of their [[computer file|file]]s will still be accessible. Depending on the system, they may even be able to resume their [[session (computer science)|session]] from the point they were at before, as if nothing had happened.
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== History ==
<ref>http://www.csrtechnologygroup.com/solutions/centralized-computing.html</ref>The very first computers did not have separate terminals as such; their primitive input/output devices were built in. However, soon it was found to be extremely useful for multiple people to be able to use a computer at the same time, for reasons of cost - early computers were very expensive, both to produce and maintain, and occupied large amounts of floor space. The idea of centralized computing was born. Early [[text terminal]]s used electro-mechanical [[teletypewriter]]s, but these were replaced by [[cathode ray tube]] displays (as found in 20th century televisions and computers). The text terminal model dominated computing from the 1960s until the rise to dominance of [[home computer]]s and [[personal computer]]s in the 1980s.
