Computer Hardware Basics Hardware :

– The physical devices or equipment (everything you can see and touch) used in or with a computer system.

External Hardware:

External Devices – Hardware devices that are external to the computer. Input devices are parts of a hardware device used to input information into a computer for processing. Examples: keyboard, mouse, trackpad (or touchpad), touchscreen, joystick, microphone, light pen, webcam, voice input, etc. Output devices - are parts of a hardware device that receive information from the computer. Examples: monitor, printer, scanner, speaker, display screen (tablet, smartphone.), projector, headset, etc.

Internal Equipment:

Internal hardware devices (or internal hardware components) are any part of a hardware device found inside a computer. Ex: CPU, HDD, ROM, RAM, etc. Computer Software Basics Computer Software Software is a set of instructions or programs that tell a computer what to do or how to perform a particular task (computer software runs on the hardware). There are two main types of software: system software and application software.

Application Software:

Application software is a computer program that provides users with the tools to perform specific tasks. Examples of application software: word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, database management, internet browsers, email programs, media players, accounting, pronunciation, translation, desktop publishing, enterprise, etc.

System Software:

System software-designed to run the computer hardware and application software and enable the computer system to be used. It acts as an interface between hardware, application software, and the user. A computer functions through interactions between the user, applications, the operating system, and the hardware. Major functions of system software: system resource allocation, storage space management, file storage and retrieval, security, etc. Main types of system software: operating system, device driver, utility software, programming software, etc.