Abstract: The personal computer defies exact definition. Any general-purpose computer affordable by an individual is certainly a personal computer. If that same computer is used by a business, it is still a personal computer. Usually even in the business it would be dedicated to the use of a person or a small group. In a company, a person's computer may be analogous to his desk--the desk is personal even though it is owned by the corporation. Just as an automobile may be the personal property of one family member or shared by the entire family, so can the personal computer be singly used or shared, perhaps even time-shared.