I'm looking for a word to describe a computer that's not a server. I know that in some contexts the opposite may be "client", but that implies the ability to form a network connection to a server, which is not necessary in my context. It can just be a standalone computer or any computer which does not run a server operating system.
I'm also looking for the opposite to "server operating system", for example, a word to describe all Windows operating systems that do not have "Server" in their name (Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, but not Windows Server 2000, 2003, 2008) – not necessarily restricted to Windows, though.
Best Answer
My first suggestion would be a client. I don't agree that it necessarily implies a network connection, but I can see that it could be interpreted this way.
For the operating system I think the association to a network connection is even weaker, so I would definitely call it a "client operating system" to distinguish it from a more server-oriented OS.
Alternatively you could call the computer a "desktop computer" and the OS a "desktop operating system".