The workstation (Workstation) differs from the usual desktop personal computer the greater capacity and, accordingly, higher price. She(it) borrows(occupies) one workplace and differs externally from the personal computer a little. Many workstations work in operational system UNIX. Company Microsoft wont the operational system for workstations Windows NT Workstation which can cooperate on networks with other operational systems Microsoft, Apple Macintosh and with UNIX-like systems. { UNIX} { Microsoft}

Workstations are more often office personal computers used for intensive calculations. Usually it is work with professional scientific and engineering appendices of modelling such as CAD/CAM, creation of environments, development of the software and various appendices of type a client - server. There are specialized graphic workstations for work with three-dimensional grafik.

In 1980th years some terminals were connected to one workstation, consisting of the monitor and the keyboard (without own hard disk) from which work with the data stored(kept) in a workstation was made. At deenergizing a workstation work on all terminals stopped. Now workstations of offices and the enterprises are usually incorporated into local networks. As against nodisk terminals, computers in a network continue to work independently at switching-off from it(her). Modern network workstations are usually equipped with means of the removed administration which allow the manager of a network to make on distance abdeite workstations or installation on them of new programs. In conditions of group work there is actual an equipment of workstations by the additional equipment for voice mail, carrying out of videoconferences, etc. Workstations frequently contain the specialized technological decisions raising their reliability (and simultaneously and the price). For example, last models of office machines are equipped with SMART-winchesters.

In a management(manual) « PC 99 System Design Guide » (http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/pc99.htm), developed the group of the companies led by Microsoft and Intel, results technical requirements in a workstation of the end 1990.