Difference between Hardware and Software - Prolearner

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Hardware and Software



Hardware


A computer system also consists of hardware and software for its proper functioning.

Hardware represents the physical and tangible components of the computer i.e., the components that can be seen and touched. Or we can say that collectively, the electronic, electrical and mechanical equipment that makes up a computer is called hardware. Input devices, output devices, CPU, hard disk, sound card etc. are all examples of computer hardware.

Peripherals. Here you should also know another term (which is ofcourse hardware) -peripherals. The peripherals are the devices that surround the system unit e.g., the
keyboard, mouse, speakers, printers, monitors etc.
              A computer consists of five primary hardware components:
  • input devices                      
  • memory
  • CPU(Central Processing Unit)
  • output devices
  • storage devices
These components work together with software to perform calculations, organize data, and communicate with other computers.

Software

Software


Software represents the set of programs that govern the operation of a  computer system and make the hardware run. Software can be classified broadly into three categories:
  • Operating System
  • Language Processors
  • Applications Software

Operating System   

Hardware is nothing but finely designed machinery. A machine is ultimately a machine only, which is always made to work. In case of computers, it is 'Operating System'.

  Operating System is just like our secretary. As the boss gives orders to his secretary and the secretary does all the work for his boss. The secretary himself decides: How to do? What to do?; When to do?, etc. Same way, we pass our orders/requests to operating system and 'the Operating System' does it for us. The primary goal of an operating system is thus to make the computer system convenient to use and secondary goal is to use computer hardware in an efficient manner. An operating system is an important components of a computer
system which controls all other components of the computer system.
  
Major components of a computer system are :

1. The Hardware                              2. The Operating System
3. The Application program routines(compiler, linkers, database management systems, utility programs)
4.Firmware                                      5. The Humanware/Liveware

Where hardware provides the basic computing resources, the Operating System controls and coordinates the use of the hardware among the various application programs for the various users. The operating system performs the following functions:

(1) provides the instructions to prepare user-interface ie., way to interact with

user whether through typed commands or through graphical symbols. (ii) loads necessary programs (into the computer memory) which are required for proper computer functioning.

(iii) coordinates how programs work with the CPU, keyboard, mouse, printer

and other hardware as well as with other software.

(iv) manages the way information is stored on and retrieved from disks.

 There are various types of OS - single user OS, multiuser OS, batch processing OS, multiprocessing OS etc.

As the names suggest, single user OS supports single user whereas multiuser OS can support multiple users. The batch processing OS processes the batches (groups) of jobs (processes given to it) and multiprocessing OS is capable of handling multiple CPUs at the same time.

Language Processors

As programmers prefer to write their programs in one of the High Level Languages (HLLS) because it is much easier to code in such languages. However, the c does not understand any language other than its own machine language (binary language) therefore, it becomes necessary to process a HLL program so as to make it understandable to the computer. The system programs which perform this very job are language processors. computer
The language processors are given below:

(1) Assembler. This language processor converts the program written in assembly language into machine language.
(ii) Interpreter. This language processor converts a HLL program into machine language by converting and executing it line by line. If there is any error in any line, it reports it at the same time and program execution cannot resume until the error is rectified. Interpreter must always be present in the memory every time the program is executed as every time the program is run, it is first interpreted and then executed. For error debugging, interpreter is very much useful as it reports the error(s) at the same time. But once errors are removed, unnecessary usage of memory takes place as it has to be present in the memory always.

(iii) Compiler. It also converts the HLL program into machine language but the conversion manner is different It converts the entire HLL program in one go, and reports all the errors of the program along with the line numbers. After all the errors are removed, the program is recompiled, and after that the compiler is not needed in the memory as the object program is available.

Application Software

This type of software pertains to one specific application. For instance, a software that can perform railway reservation functions can not prepare result for a school. Application Software are the programs written to perform a specific task such as inventory control, medical accounting, financial accounting, result preparation, railway reservation, billing etc. Application software can further be subdivided into two categories:

1. Customized Application Software (Bespoke Software). This type of software is tailor-made software according to a user's requirements. The software is developed to meet all the requirements specified by the user. However, this cannot be directly installed at any other user's workplace as the requirements of this user may differ from the first one and the software may not fit in the requirements of the new user.

2. General Application Software (Generic Application Software). This type of software is developed keeping in mind the general requirements for carrying out a specific task. Many users can use it simultaneously
as it fulfills the general requirements.

Application Software
An application software is the set of programs necessary to carry out operations for a specified application.

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