{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.personal-computer","code":"thing-q16338","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q16338/","name":"personal computer","alternateNames":["workstation","high-end desktop computer","Developer Transition Kit","Raspberry Pi 400","MacBook Air (Apple Silicon)","Compaq Portable series","Canon Cat","Sage II","Macintosh II series","Macintosh 512Ke","Palmtop PC","PMD 85"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A general-purpose computer designed for use by one person at a time, such as desktop computers, laptops, workstations and small single-board computers, running operating systems such as Windows, macOS or Linux; personal computers spread from the late 1970s and 1980s.","purpose":"Let an agent help choose, set up, secure, maintain and dispose of personal computers, and explain their history.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Single-user general-purpose computer","Runs many applications","Upgradeable to varying degrees","Needs security updates"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"choose","name":"Choose","description":"Buying.","layers":[{"id":"needs","name":"Needs","description":"Purpose.","findings":[{"id":"needs-finding","name":"Needs","description":"Choosing a computer.","questions":[{"text":"Which type and specification suits this person needs and budget?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is a refurbished computer suitable?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"access","name":"Access","description":"Accessibility.","findings":[{"id":"access-finding","name":"Access","description":"Accessibility.","questions":[{"text":"Which built-in accessibility features and assistive technologies does it support?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How can they be enabled?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"security","name":"Security","description":"Keeping safe.","layers":[{"id":"update","name":"Update","description":"Updates and backups.","findings":[{"id":"update-finding","name":"Update","description":"Updates and backups.","questions":[{"text":"Is the operating system still supported and up to date?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How should backups be set up?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"scam","name":"Scam","description":"Tech support scams.","findings":[{"id":"scam-finding","name":"Scam","description":"Tech support scams.","questions":[{"text":"Is someone being contacted by a caller or pop-up claiming the computer is infected?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Should they hang up, not grant remote access and contact their bank if they paid?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"maintain","name":"Maintain","description":"Troubleshooting.","layers":[{"id":"fix","name":"Fix","description":"Common problems.","findings":[{"id":"fix-finding","name":"Fix","description":"Troubleshooting.","questions":[{"text":"Which steps address this common problem, according to official support pages?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"When is a repair shop needed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"battery","name":"Battery","description":"Battery safety.","findings":[{"id":"battery-finding","name":"Battery","description":"Battery safety.","questions":[{"text":"Is a laptop battery swollen, hot or smoking?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Should it be unplugged, moved away from flammables and handled by professionals?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"end","name":"End of life","description":"Disposal and history.","layers":[{"id":"disposal","name":"Disposal","description":"Recycling and wiping.","findings":[{"id":"disposal-finding","name":"Disposal","description":"Disposal.","questions":[{"text":"How should data be wiped before recycling or donating the computer?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Where can it be recycled?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History of PCs.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did personal computers develop, according to computing historians and museums?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which models were milestones?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Operate, update and maintain a computer for its user with the user's consent.","Report hardware faults, security problems and available updates to the user."],"mustNot":["Access, copy or change files on a computer without its user's consent or a lawful order.","Install software that monitors the user covertly.","Disable security protections or backups without the user's decision.","Dispose of a computer without securely erasing personal data."],"requiresHuman":["Wiping, reinstalling or recycling a computer.","Accessing a computer of a person who cannot consent."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["A personal computer holds private life and work; access is access to the person.","E-waste from computers is often dumped in poor countries."],"affectedParties":["The user","People whose data is stored on it","E-waste workers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The person who owns or uses it; for work computers, the employer.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q68","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"computer","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"software","type":"related","note":"programs"},{"target":"application software","type":"related","note":"applications"},{"target":"digital camera","type":"related","note":"other consumer electronics"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.personal-computer","Wikidata: Q16338 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16338)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Mass of the computer:  kilograms - Mass is measured with a scale while recording whether the battery, power supply and peripherals are included.","External dimensions:  millimetres - Width, depth and height are measured across the enclosure with the operating or transport configuration recorded.","Electrical input power:  watts - Input power is measured with a power meter under a stated workload and with the measurement boundary identified."]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Keyboard, screen and operating system","Laptop and desktop forms","Servers serve many users remotely","Desktop towers, all-in-ones, laptops and small boards with screens, keyboards and ports."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["choose a computer for a purpose","secure and update a computer","troubleshoot common problems","recycle old computers and wipe data"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Malware and data loss","Battery swelling in laptops","Data left on disposed devices"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["EU ecodesign and energy labelling rules","WEEE Directive","Accessibility standards such as EN 301 549"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Work, study, communication, creativity and entertainment.","desktop computers","laptops","workstations","all-in-one computers","single-board and keyboard computers"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q16338: personal computer","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16338","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Personal computer","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should form factors be separate entries?","How should models be linked?","How should the history be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q16338/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q16338/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T13:55:32Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:26+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}