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Unit 7. Evolution of computers
Click play on the following audio player to listen along as you read this section.
Computer Hardware Basics
– any physical device or equipment used in or with a computer system (anything you can see and touch).
External hardware
- – any hardware device that is located outside the computer.
- – a piece of hardware device which is used to enter information to a computer for processing.
- Examples: keyboard, mouse, trackpad (or touchpad),
touchscreen, joystick, microphone, light pen, webcam, speech input, etc.
- – a piece of hardware device that receives information from a computer.
- Examples: monitor, printer, scanner, speaker, display screen (tablet, smartphone …), projector, head phone, etc.
Internal hardware
- – any piece of hardware device that is located inside the computer.
- Examples: CPU, hard disk drive, ROM, RAM, etc.
Computer Software Basics
Computer software
- – a set of instructions or programs that tells a computer what to do or how to perform a specific task (computer software runs on hardware).
- Main types of software – systems software and application software.
Application software
- – a computer program that provides users with tools to accomplish a specific task.
- Examples of application software: word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, database management, Internet browsers, email programs, media players, accounting, pronunciation, translation, desktop publishing, enterprise, etc.
System Software
– it is designed to run a computer’s hardware and application software, and make the computer system available for use. It serves as the interface between hardware, application software, and the user.
- Main functions of system software – allocating system resources, managing storage space, storing and retrieval of files, providing security, etc.
- Main types of systems software – operating system, device driver, utility software, programming software, etc.
– a software that controls and coordinates the computer hardware devices and runs other software and applications on a computer. It is the main part of system software and a computer will not function without it.
- Main functions of an operating system – booting the computer, managing system resources (CPU, memory, storage devices, printer, etc.), managing files, handling input and output, executing and providing services for application software, etc.
- Examples of operating system: Microsoft Windows, Apple iOS, Android OS, macOS, Linux, etc.
– a software program that is designed to control a particular hardware device that is attached to a computer.
- The main purpose of device driver – it acts as a translator between the hardware device and operating systems or applications that use it.
- It instructs computer on how to communicate with the device by translating the operating system’s instructions into a language that a device can understand in order to perform the necessary task.
- Examples of device driver: printer driver, display driver, USB driver, sound card driver, motherboard driver, ROM driver, etc.
– a type of system software that helps set up, analyze, configure, strengthen, maintain a computer and performs a very specific task (e.g. antivirus software, backup software, memory tester, screen saver, etc.).
Which hardware component of a computer executes instructions as directed by software?
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the "brain" of the computer. It executes instructions (from software) and tells other components what to do.
Is hardware Directed by software?
Hardware is typically directed by the software to execute any command or instruction. A combination of hardware and software forms a usable computing system, although other systems exist with only hardware.
What is the software component of a hardware device called?
Operating system (OS) – a software that controls and coordinates the computer hardware devices and runs other software and applications on a computer. It is the main part of system software and a computer will not function without it.
What are the components of hardware and software?
Hardware components are the physical parts of a computer, like the central processing unit (CPU), mouse, storage, and more. Software components are the set of instructions that we store and run on our hardware. Together, they form a computer.