Acomputer lab is a space wherecomputer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically publiclibraries andacademic institutions.[1] Generally, users must follow a certainuser policy to retain access to the computers. This usually consists of rules such as noillegal activity during use or attempts to circumvent anysecurity orcontent-control software while using the computers.[1]
Computer labs are often subject to time limits in order to allow more people access to use the lab. It is also common for personal login credentials to be required for access.[1] This allows institutions totrack the user's activities for any possible fraudulent use. The computers in computer labs are typically equipped withInternet access,scanners, andprinters and are typically arranged in rows. This is to give theworkstation a similar view to facilitatelecturing orpresentations,[2] and also to facilitate smallgroup work.[3]
For some academic institutions, studentlaptops or laptop carts[4] take place of dedicated computer labs. However, computer labs still have a place in applications requiring special software or hardware which are not easily accessible in personal computers.[3]
While computer labs are generally multipurpose, some labs may contain computers with hardware or software optimized for certain tasks or processes, depending on the needs of the institution operating the lab. These specialized purposes may include video editing, stock trading, 3-Dcomputer-aided design, programming, andGIS.[3] Increasingly, these have become the main purposes for the existence of traditional desktop-style computer labs, due to rising ownership of inexpensive personal computers making use of the lab only necessary when the expensive, specialized software and more powerful computers needed to run it are required.[3]
In some settings, traditional desktop computer labs are impractical due to the requirement of a dedicated space. Because of this, some labs use laptop carts instead of desktop setups, in order to both save space and give the lab some degree of mobility.[4]In the context of academic institutions, some traditional desktop computer labs are being phased out in favor of other solutions judged to be more efficient given that most students own personal laptops. One of these solutions is a virtual lab, which can allow users to install software from the lab server onto their own laptops or log into virtual machines remotely, essentially turning their own laptops into lab machines.[5]
Many universities purchase and maintaindiscounted academicsoftwarebundles andsoftware suites, or freeopen-source software for their computer labs, such asprogramming text editors,programming languages,CAx software,rendering engines,Adobe Creative Cloud,Microsoft Office Suite,productivity software,statistical software,music software,video editing software,3D animation software, andphoto editing software.[6][7]
A media lab (often referred to as "new media lab" or "media research lab") is a term used for interdisciplinary organizations, collectives or spaces with the main focus onnew media,digital culture andtechnology. TheMIT Media Lab is a well-known example of a media lab.[8][9]
AnInternet café is essentially a public-facing computer lab that anyone can use but which charge a fee (often hourly) to use their computers. The term 'Internet café' may be used interchangeably with 'computer lab' but may differ from a computer lab in that users can also connect to the Internet using their own device, and users of a computer lab generally do not need any equipment of their own. Moreover, in typical parlance, a computer lab is a location within a larger organization (such as a university), while an Internet café is a standalone business.
Media related toComputer labs at Wikimedia Commons