distributed computing

distributed computing

[di‚strib·yəd·əd kəm′pyüd·iŋ]

(computer science)

The use of multiple network-connected computers for solving a problem or for information processing.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

distributed computing

(1) The use of multiple computers networked throughout a geographical area. The Internet is the world's largest distributed computing platform. See also grid computing.

(2) The use of multiple computers in an enterprise rather than one centralized system. This use of the term was coined in the late 1970s when minicomputers were installed in departments throughout a company instead of deploying terminals to a central mainframe. Contrast with centralized processing.

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