What is Hardware and Software

[OyaYansa]

A computer, also called PC, is a device that allows us to process information, it is clear that this classic definition is somewhat old, since the variety of tasks we can perform with this device is very wide.

Through it we can draw, write, play and communicate with other people around the worldin importing the distance, too, and honoring the original definition, we can process information in its pure state through the programs or software indicated. There are hundreds of thousands of applications that we can give to a computer, and each user can use the tools necessary for the PC to assist in every task that begins.

What is a computer

Basically a computer consists of two parts: the hardware and the software.

Hardware is a generic term used to designate all the physical elements that make it up, ie cabinet, monitor, motherboard, RAM and so on.

Meanwhile, software is everything that gives the computer the instructions needed to perform a certain function. These include the operating system, games, device drivers, etc.

What is hardware

Just as the computer is subdivided into two parts, the hardware that compose it also, so we can find the so-called basic hardware and complementary hardware.

The basic hardware groups all the essential components for the operation of the PC like motherboard, monitor, keyboard and mouse, being the motherboard, RAM and CPU the most important components of the set.

On the other hand we have the complementary hardware, which is all that non essential component for the operation of a PC like printers, cameras, pendrives and others.

Also we can find an additional differentiation between the components of the PC, and is given by the function that they fulfill within the same. In the following paragraphs we will know how they are divided.

Input Devices: Devices that allow the input of information to the PC.

Chipset: Integrated in the motherboard, the chipset allows the traffic of information between the microprocessor and the rest of the components that conform the PC.

CPU: This device has the task of interpreting and executing the instructions received from the operating system, in addition to managing the requests made by the users through the programs.

RAM Memory: RAM or Random Access Memory is where the computer stores the programs, data and results processed by the CPU, which allows its rapid recovery by the system, thus providing a better performance.

Storage units: These are all those devices destined to the storage of the data of the system or of user, that is to say, the physical place where the operating system, the programs and the documents of the user are located. These can be hard disks, CD, DVD or Blu Ray drives, removable external drives or disks.

Output Devices: These are the devices responsible for showing the user results. This group includes monitors, printers and everything that serves the purpose of offering the user the possibility to see the result of their work.

Mixed devices: These are components that deliver and receive information, and in this group we can mention network cards, modems and communications ports, among others.

What is software?

The software of a computer is anyone who allows the user to order the computer to perform a task. They should also be subdivided into various categories based on the functions they perform in the system.

Software Concepts

Software is a sequence of instructions that are interpreted and / or executed for the management, redirection or modification of a data / information or event.

Software is also a product, which is developed by software engineering, and includes not only the program for the computer, but also manuals and technical documentation.

A computer software is composed of a sequence of instructions, which is interpreted and executed by a processor or by a virtual machine. In a functional software, that sequence follows specific standards that result in a certain behavior.

In our computer, all the programs that we use are software: Windows, Outlook, Firefox, Internet Explorer, antivirus and even viruses are software.

A software can be executed by any device capable of interpreting and executing the instructions for which it is created.

When software is represented as instructions that can be executed directly by a processor we say that it is written in machine language. The execution of a software can also be done through an interpreter program, responsible for understanding and executing each of its instructions. A special and notable category of interpreters are virtual machines, such as the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

The best known device that has a processor is the computer. There are other programmable machines, such as cell phones, industrial automation machines, etc.

Software Classification

System Software: This group includes the operating system, device drivers, system utilities and all that tool that serves for the specific control of the characteristics of the computer.

Application Software: It is called application software to all those programs used by the users for the accomplishment of a task, and in this group we can find office-type software, graphic design, accounting and electronics, just to mention one Small fraction of all the categories of applications that we can find in the market.