What is computer?

com·put·er \kɘm-pyootɘr\ n. often attrib (1646): one that computes;
specif: a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve, and
process data1

What a brief definition for something that has, in just a few decades,
changed the way of life in industrialized societies! Computers touch all
areas of our lives: paying bills, driving cars, using the telephone, shopping.
In fact, it might be easier to list those areas of our lives in which we do
not use computers. You are probably most familiar with computers
through the use of games,word processors,Web browsers, and other applications.