Computer Hardware and Software

Software is simply a series of instructions that tell a computer exactly how to perform a certain task. This is quite different than physical hardware where the machine actually performs the task and is assembled. However, both types of hardware can be updated or replaced, whereas software needs to be loaded onto the machine before it starts working.

There are two main types of software, the application software and the operating system. Application software is used to run individual applications on a computer. Examples of this include word processors, spreadsheet applications and web browsers. Operating systems on the other hand, are used to control the hardware and to allow communication between the operating system and software running on the computer. These include Linux, BSD, Sun and others.

The two main types of software licenses are per-user and non-per-user. A per-user license is given to a single end user, whereas a non-user license is given to an individual user. A number of companies provide both kinds of licenses, so there is no need to research each one. However, in order to use the software, both licenses must be present. Therefore, some companies may choose to purchase software licenses from the manufacturer, while others may prefer to develop their own product licensing terms.

One of the most important categories of software is device drivers. Device drivers are what actually do the actual work with a computer, including communication with the operating system, printers, scanners and any other type of input or output devices. Without drivers, the computer cannot function properly. For example, a printer would not be able to print if there was no device driver installed that worked with the ink cartridge.

Another category of software is utility software. Utility software helps to solve common problems that a computer may run into. Examples of common problems include fixing broken links, removing corrupted files, correcting document size and font sizes and more. Software engineers also create these application software programs as part of the computer science or software engineering project.

Computer hardware includes motherboards, processors, disk drives, keyboards, mice, monitors, mice pads, video cards, sound cards, digital cameras, printers and a number of other devices. In order for computers to perform specific tasks, they must have corresponding software. Some examples of software that is installed on a computer are word processors, spreadsheet applications and web browsers. All of these software are necessary for running an office, providing data storage, printing and other necessary tasks. When it comes to the development of new technologies, there are specific task-oriented languages that help programmers and developers write specific tasks and events within the software. There are also generic task-oriented languages that programmers and developers can work with to create applications.