What do hardware and software mean?

Hardware refers to the general term for various physical devices composed of electronic, mechanical and optoelectronic components in a computer system; it refers to those actual physical devices that are visible and tangible, including the computer host and external device. Software represents a collection of computer data and instructions organized in a specific order; it also generally refers to the management system, ideology, ideological and political consciousness, laws and regulations, etc. in the social structure.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 10 system, Dell G3 computer.

What does hardware mean

Hardware (English name Hardware) is the abbreviation of computer hardware (used in mainland China and Hong Kong, and in Taiwan it is called: Hardware) refers to the general term for various physical devices composed of electronic, mechanical and optoelectronic components in a computer system. These physical devices form an organic whole according to the requirements of the system structure and provide a material basis for the operation of computer software.

The so-called computer hardware refers to the various physical devices that make up a computer, that is, the actual physical devices that are visible and tangible that we introduced in "Understanding Computers". It includes the computer's host computer and peripheral devices.

Computer hardware is specifically composed of five functional components, namely: arithmetic unit, controller, memory, input device and output device. These five parts cooperate with each other and work together.

The simple working principle is: first, the input device receives external information (program and data), the controller issues instructions to send the data into the (internal) memory, and then issues an instruction fetch command to the internal memory. Under the instruction fetch command, program instructions are sent to the controller one by one. The controller decodes the instruction and issues storage, fetching and operation commands to the memory and arithmetic unit according to the operation requirements of the instruction. The arithmetic unit calculates and stores the calculation results in the memory. Finally, under the action of the fetch and output commands issued by the controller, the calculation results are output through the output device.

1. Operator.

The main function of the arithmetic unit in computer hardware is to calculate and process data and information. The arithmetic unit includes the following parts: general register, status register, accumulator and key arithmetic logic unit. The operator can perform arithmetic calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and logical operations (AND or NOT).

2. Controller.

The controller and arithmetic unit together form the central processing unit (CPU). The controller can be regarded as the brain and command center of the computer. It allows the various components of the computer to complete instructions in an orderly manner by integrating and analyzing relevant data and information.

3. Memory.

As the name suggests, memory is the memory system of the computer and the notepad in the computer system. Unlike a notepad, the memory can not only save information, but also accept different information in the computer system and read the saved information. Memory consists of main memory and auxiliary memory. Main memory is commonly known as memory and is divided into two parts: RAM and ROM. Auxiliary storage is external storage, but when the computer processes information in external storage, it must first exchange information between internal and external storage.

4. Input device.

Input devices and output devices are key devices for human-computer interaction. The emergence of input devices such as mice and keyboards has brought about earth-shaking changes to computers. There are two main types of existing mice: optical mice and mechanical mice. Through the mouse, we can easily position coordinates on the computer screen, and can operate graphics and software processing well, providing the greatest convenience for humans. The keyboard is also a very important input device. Most of the computer instructions are entered through the keyboard.

5. Output device.

The output device is also a key device for computer human-computer interaction. Its characteristic is that it can display computer information in the form of a picture, which is very intuitive. Common output devices include monitors, printers, voice and video output devices, etc.

What does software mean?

Software (termed in Mainland China and Hong Kong, called software in Taiwan, English: software) is a series of products based on specific A sequentially organized collection of computer data and instructions. Generally speaking, software is divided into system software, application software and middleware between the two.

Software does not only include computer programs that can be run on a computer (computer here refers to a computer in a broad sense). Documents related to these computer programs are generally considered to be part of the software. Simply put, software is a collection of programs and documents. It also generally refers to the management system, ideology, ideological and political consciousness, laws and regulations, etc. in the social structure.

Features:

1. Intangible, no physical form, functions, features and quality can only be understood through operating conditions

2. Software Permeated with a lot of mental work, people's logical thinking, intelligent activities and technical level are the key to software products

3. Software will not age and wear out like hardware, but it will have defects. Maintenance and technical updates

4. The development and operation of software must depend on a specific computer system environment and dependence on hardware. In order to reduce dependence, software portability is proposed during development

5. Software is replicable Usability, software developed can be easily copied, thus forming multiple copies

Application classification

Divided by application scope, generally speaking software is divided into system software , application software and middleware in between.

• System software:

  System software provides the most basic functions for computer use and can be divided into operating system and supporting software, of which the operating system is the most basic software.

  System software is responsible for managing various independent hardware in the computer system so that they can work in harmony. System software allows computer users and other software to treat the computer as a whole without having to consider how the underlying hardware works.

  1. The operating system is a program that manages computer hardware and software resources. It is also the core and cornerstone of the computer system. The operating system is responsible for basic tasks such as managing and configuring memory, prioritizing the supply and demand of system resources, controlling input and output devices, operating networks, and managing file systems. The operating system also provides an operating interface for users to interact with the system.

  2. Support software is software that supports the development and maintenance of various software, also known as software development environment (SDE). It mainly includes environment database, various interface software and tool sets. Famous software development environments include IBM's Web Sphere, Microsoft's, etc.

  Includes a series of basic tools (such as compilers, database management, memory formatting, file system management, user authentication, driver management, network connections, etc.).

• Application software:

  System software is not targeted at a specific application field, while application software is on the contrary. Different application software is provided according to the user and the field served. different functions.

  Application software is software developed for a specific purpose. It can be a specific program, such as an image browser. It can also be a collection of programs that have closely related functions and can cooperate with each other, such as Microsoft Office software. It can also be a huge software system composed of many independent programs, such as a database management system.

  Nowadays, smart phones have become extremely popular, and the application software running on the mobile phone is referred to as mobile software. The so-called mobile software is software that can be installed on mobile phones to improve the deficiencies and personalization of the original system. With the development of technology, mobile phones have more and more functions and become more and more powerful. It is not as simple and rigid as in the past, but has developed to be comparable to a handheld computer. Mobile phone software is the same as computer software. When downloading mobile phone software, you should also consider the system installed on the phone you purchased to determine the corresponding software. The mainstream mobile phone systems are as follows: Windows Phone, Symbian, iOS, and Android.

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