Computer difference between hardware and software

The main difference between hardware and software is that hardware is the physical components of a system, and software is a set of instructions with no material existence.

In the following segment, you will learn more about hardware, software, and their dissimilarities. Everything we can see and touch of a system is hardware. In a word, hardware is the physical components of a computer that operate by electricity.

They create interfaces to install and run software in a system. So, every system needs at least one hardware element to work. Examples of hardware are- monitor, keyboard, mouse, motherboard, etc. Hardware can be divided into four groups. They are- Input devices, output devices, internal components, and secondary storage devices. The details are given in the next part.

As the name suggests, the input device is specialized for taking input from the users. It takes data from users and sends them to the system. Basically, they are the components that the end-users directly interact with. Keyboard, mouse, scanner, etc. And they are the most common example of input devices. Like input devices, output devices are another peripheral device that shows the results of user input.

Monitor, printer , speaker, etc. Typically, they perform the end-service of a system as the final task of a system is to provide an output to the user. Internal components are those that usually remain hidden in the system unit, but the user can observe them if necessary. Internal components are one of the core parts of a system.

However, we know that the CPU is the brain of a computer system. Image Source: computer. Secondary storage devices are usually external devices that store permanent data. These devices are easily movable. You can plug and unplug them frequently in your desired system. Image Source: MiniTool. Software is a set of instructions that utilize a computer system to execute specific tasks.

It has no physical existence. Therefore, we can say that software is the intelligence of a system that controls the computer with programs, procedures, and routines. But at the same time, software needs a suitable hardware platform to execute. Software is fundamentally categorized into two types- System software and application software. Besides, there is some project management software that operates like both. A short description of them is given in the next segment.

System Software developed specifically to control the hardware and create an interface to run application software. Operating systems like Windows , Mac , Linux , etc. Device drivers, Firmware, programming language translator, etc. Application software is developed to perform specific tasks. The main purpose of this software is to make the system convenient for the end-users.

Usually, users can install application software whenever they want according to their purpose. Without application software, a system can run, but it will not be a user-friendly one. Image Source: Learn Computer Science. Combine software refers to the software that can be worked as either system software or application software. However, this concept is relatively new in software technology.

Some software such as Bhojon and Isshue can work as application software as well as system software. You can get the PHP script and install it on your system. Thus, it will be working as application software. On the other hand, you can install the software into a specialized computer and use them as system software. Can a system run without hardware? The answer is no. Software needs at least one hardware platform for implementation. Save Article.

Like Article. Computer Hardware: Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer. Computer Hardware is any part of the computer that we can touch these parts. These are the primary electronic devices used to build up the computer. Computer Software: Software is a collection of instructions, procedures, documentation that performs different tasks on a computer system. The code can be machine-level code or the code written for an operating system.

Difference Between Hardware and Software: Hardware Software Hardware is a physical parts computer that cause processing of data. Software is a set of instruction that tells a computer exactly what to do. It is manufactured. It is developed and engineered. Hardware can not perform any task without software. As Hardware are physical electronic devices, we can see and touch hardware.

It has four main categories: input device, output devices, storage, and internal components. It is mainly divided into System software, Programming software and Application software.

Hardware is not affected by computer viruses. Software is affected by computer viruses. It can not be transferred from one place to another electrically through network.