A general-purpose single-user microcomputer designed to be operated by one person at a time (see also PC). Personal computers are now extremely sophisticated machines with powerful processors, large-capacity disk storage, high-resolution colour-graphics systems, high-speed network interfaces, and many other options. In scientific, engineering, and business environments the personal computer has superseded the terminal connected to a time-sharing system, especially since communication ports and network connections allow transfers of data between computers as well as client/server computing. The development of the personal computer is a consequence of the continually increasing ratio of computing power to cost, coupled with decreasing weight, size, and power consumption.