Several components in a computer working together are called Computer hardware.Computer software helps the computer to perform the task using programs.
Computer Hardwareconsists of mechanical devices such as a CPU, keyboard, mouse, speaker, monitor, printer, hard disk, and so on. All these devices can be touched and felt.
Computer Software is generally a language that a computer understands. If there was no web browser software, we would not be able to access the internet on our computers.
There are 3 Different types of software, which are as follows:-- System software- Programming software- Application software
Different Types of Software
It acts as a middle layer between the user and a computer. They communicate with all the hardware components in the computer and also control the CPU, memory, and other devices.
1. System software
When we switch on the computer the system software is the first application that gets initialized Two main types of system software are the Operating system and utility software.
Utility software is installed with an operating system. Both software is dependent on each other and does not work independently. Some of the utility software are compilers, editors, and drivers.
This software is usually used by computer programmers. Most internet applications use Java or PHP as a programming language.
2. Programming software
It is generally used by the end-users to perform any task. MS Word or Powerpoint applications are designed for the user to write a document or prepare presentations.
3. Application software
There are a lot of hardware devices available but we need to select the right device with the correct specification to get the best performance results.
Different Types of Hardware
All the devices vary in size, cost, and specification. We need to choose the compatible one.Some of the different types of hardware are –Input devicesOutput devicesStorage devices
Input devices provides data to the computer. They feed the data such as text, image, and sound and help in file transfers between different devices and the computer.
1. Input devices
It is a device that converts information to a human-readable format. It extracts the information from the computer and displays it to the user.
2. Output devices
These are the devices that help to store the data and are further subdivided into primary and secondary memory.
3. Storage devices
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the primary memory and it retains data only when the computer is switched on.
All the instructions are read and executed from the memory through the central processing unit and accelerated processing unit.
Secondary memory does not directly communicate with the microprocessor. This type of memory is non-volatile and is subdivided into two categories. They are
Internal device – are always placed on the computer. Eg – Hard diskExternal devices – are connected to the computer using plug and play. Eg – An external hard disk
Internal components - These are the processing unit of the computer. They are generally called as brain of the computer.This is usually termed CPU (Central Processing Unit)