Hardware And Software Of Computer 

Hardware and software of computer

Introduction
A computer system is composed of two major components, hardware, and software. Computer hardware is the collection of all the physical parts of the computer that we can see and touch physically. On the other hand, computer software is the set of instructions for a computer to perform specific operations. It is the logical parts of the computer that we cannot see or touch. We need both the computer hardware and software for the smooth functioning of the computer system.

Computer Hardware

Computer Hardware

Computer hardware is all the physical parts of a computer system. This includes a computer case, keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.  It also includes the parts of a computer inside the computer case such as motherboard, hard disk drive, RAM, ROM wires, etc. Computer hardware is categorized as an external and internal hardware devices and they are discussed below:

External hardware of the computer

Keyboard

Keyboard
The keyboard is one of the primary input devices of the computer system. It is very important input device that helps to enter data and instructions into the computer system. Keyboard allows to input letters, numbers, and symbols that act as a command to a computer system. It can be used to type text to prepare documents.

Mouse

Mouse

Mouse is handheld hardware input device attached to desktop computers. It is a small pointing device that helps to give instructions to the computer by selecting menus, clicking on icons, files, and folders on the computer screen. The mouse pointer also known as curser moves according to the movement of the mouse.

Joystick

Joystick
A computer joystick is an input device that allows a user to control a character or a machine in a computer program. The joystick is a hardware device similar to a mouse that helps to play games and control the characters or machine in the simulator.

Scanner

Scanner

A computer scanner or optical scanner is a hardware input device. It is used to scan documents or images. Scanned documents, images, drawings, etc. are converted into digital form which can be edited with the help of the computer.

Microphone

Microphone
Microphone is an audio input hardware device that is used to input voice in the computer system. A desktop computer needs to use an external microphone whereas laptops, tablets, smartphones have an inbuilt microphones for audio input.

Monitor

Monitor

A monitor is an electronic visual computer display that includes a screen, circuitry, and the case in which that circuitry is enclosed. The monitor is the output device that gives temporary output. It is a softcopy output hardware device that displays the result of processing in the form of text, images, videos, etc. on the screen.

Printer

Printer
A printer is a device that accepts text and graphic output from a computer and transfers the information to paper. A printer is an external hardware device that prints the output data on paper. It is used to print the stored text data or images on the paper.

Speaker

Speaker

A computer speaker is an external hardware device that generates sound. It is connected to a sound card to receive the signal for audio output. The audio output is given by speakers. They are inbuilt in laptop but used as an external peripheral device in desktop computers.

Projector

Projector
A projector is an output hardware device that is used to display the content of the computer screen in a large form. The computer screen’s data is displayed to large size on the wall or other smooth surface. It may be used an alternative to a monitor or television when showing video or images to a large group of people.  

Internal Hardware of the computer

CPU

CPU-Microprocessor
A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU is an internal hardware device that performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions in the program. It is called the brain of the computer as it controls and manages all the activities of the computer.

Motherboard

Motherboard

A motherboard is the main circuit board inside a computer that connects the different parts of a computer together. The motherboard is the main internal hardware of the computer system where all the major parts of a computer are attached to it.  It is also called a system board. It has sockets for the CPU, RAM, and expansion cards and it also hooks up to hard drives, disc drives, and front panel ports with cables and wires.
 

 

RAM-Random Access Memory

RAM
RAM-Random Access memory is the internal memory of the computer system that is also called the main memory. RAM gives applications a place to store and access data on a short-term basis. It stores the information your computer is actively using so that it can be accessed quickly.

 

Sound Card

Sound card

A soundcard is one of the physical components of internal hardware that makes up your PC/Mac, turning digital code into sounds. It is also known as an audio card that is used to produce sound in the computer that can be heard with a speaker or headphones.

Modem

Modem
It stands for Modulation and Demodulation. Actually, a modem is a communication device of the computer that converts analog signals into digital and vice-versa. It allows to send and receive the information over the telephone lines.

Graphics Card

Graphics Card

The graphics processing unit (GPU), also called graphics card or video card, is a specialized electronic circuit that accelerates the creation and rendering of images, video, and animations. Without graphics card we cannot view the images or videos on the computer screen.
 

NIC-Card

Network Interface Card (NIC)
NIC card is also known as an Ethernet card or network adapter that is used to connect to a network and access the internet. It is the most essential device for establishing communication between computers. The NIC is responsible for preparing the data to be sent over the network medium.

Computer Software   
Software is a set of programs that is designed to perform a well-defined function.  It is the collection of a sequence of instructions and procedures that are designed to perform specific functions. Operating systems, utilities, programs and applications are examples of computer software.
There are two types of software. They are:

1. System Software
2. Application Software   

System Software  
System software is the collection of programs that are designed to operate, control and manage all the activities of a computer. This software is responsible for operating the system and manage every operation of the computer.  Operating systems, utility software, etc. are examples of system software. The types of system software are discussed below:

Operating System Software

Operating System

Operating System is a type of system software that operates, controls, and manages all the activities of a computer. It is the main software of the computer system and all the general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run the computer and other application programs.  It performs important tasks such as recognizing input, data processing and management, file management, device management, memory management, and so on.

Utility Software
Utility software is a system software that has the responsibility of maintaining computer hardware and data. It helps to analyze, configure, monitor and maintain the computer system. Antivirus, Backup software, Disk clean up, etc. are some examples of utility software.

Language Processor
A language processor is a software that converts high-level program code into machine-level code. They are designed to convert the source code of the high-level programming language into machine-level language. The types of language processors are described below:

Interpreter
An interpreter is a language processor that converts source code into machine line by line. Only single statement of the program is converted to machine code at a time.  QBASIC is an example of an Interpreter based programming language.

Compiler
Compiler is the language processor that converts all the source code of the high-level programs to machine level at once. All statements of the program are converted to machine code at a time. C language is an example of a compiler-based programming language.

Assembler
An assembler is a type of language processor that converts assembly-level programs into machine code. Pseudo assembly is an example of an assembler.

Differences Between Interpreter and Compiler

Interpreter	Compiler
It translates the single statement into machine code at a time	It translates entire program into machine code at a time
It requires more execution time	It requires less execution time
Debugging the program is easier	Debugging the program is difficult
Interpreter is used by QBASIC, Python, etc.	Compiler is used by C, C++, etc.

Application Software
Application software is a collection of programs that are designed to perform a single task effectively. They are designed to satisfy a general needs of a particular person or an organization. Application software may consist of a single program such as Microsoft’s Notepad for writing and editing a simple text. It may also consist of a collection of a program, often called a software package, which works together to accomplish a task.

Types of Application Software
Package Software
Package software is readymade software that is designed to fulfill the general need of a user. The packaged software helps the user to perform general and common tasks. MS Office software such as MS-Word, MS-excel, etc. are examples of package software.

Tailor or customized software
Tailor or customized software is a special type of software that is designed to meet the requirement of a particular person or an organization. The customized software is designed according to the needs of a user. It is owned by a particular user or an organization. Example: Result processing software of a school/university, supermarket software, bank ATM software, etc.

Differences Between System Software and Application Software

  

System Software	Application Software
System software operates, control and manage all the activities of computer	Application software performs a single task effectively
It runs independently	It requires system software to work
Users do not interact with system software	Users interact directly with application software
Example: Operating system	Example: Microsoft Office

 
Open Source Software
Open Source Software is the freely available software that can be downloaded from the internet with the source code for the modifications. They can be used free of cost and their source code can be modified according to the need of the user. Users are free to change the source code for adding some more functionality, improving the features, and so on.
Some of the open-source software’s are listed below:
Mozilla’s Firefox
Thunderbird
Apache
Python
PHP (Personal Home Page)