The ability to make use of the copious amounts of data generated during the sequencing of even a modest length of DNA is highly dependent upon an efficient computer storage and sequence analysis system. The value of such systems in the overall task of sequence determination and analysis can be gauged by the number of publications detailing them (for instance, note the annual computer issues of Nucleic Acids Research) and by the emphasis placed on development of sequence analysis systems by the funding agencies. While many of these systems are written for and implemented on mainframe computers, there is a relatively large number of programs or program packages, both in the public domain as well as commercially available, that take advantage of modern, high-powered personal computers. These systems afford several advantages over mainframe-based analysis programs, perhaps the most obvious being that microcomputers and analysis software for them are usually far less expensive than their mainframe counterparts.
In many cases microcomputers perform their tasks faster than mainframes simply because the investigator can afford to dedicate an entire computer to the single function of sequence analysis. Since the computer is not shared it is possible to connect custom interface devices, such as voice cards and digitizers without interfering with other users, something that can be difficult when relying on multiuser mainframes. In addition, the output from a microcomputer-based system can be incorporated directly into common word processing and graphics programs for ease in preparing presentations and publications. The obvious disadvantage to microcomputers is their limited memory and computational power. These limits may affect some types of sequence analyses, although the majority of everyday computing required for the average molecular biologist can be satisfactorily performed on microcomputers.