Computing is no longer limited to computers, and it has taken over our surroundings. To get things done, everything we have in our houses utilizes some form of programming. Our everyday devices are becoming more intelligent and efficient, from smart refrigerators to smart lawnmowers.
Hardware and software provided the blessing of intellect and the ability to automate the labor. These are the foundations of any technology that necessitates automation. Hardware is nothing more than metal without software. It uses all of the available power and computer units to complete the task. Hardware, on the other hand, cannot take in commands and perform automation without software.
On the other hand, software needs correct or compatible hardware to run smoothly. With the use of proper hardware, the software will work at its maximum efficiency. So, when it comes to selecting the appropriate hardware and software, you must strike the perfect balance between the two. Today, with this blog, we are going to showcase the difference between hardware and software. In addition, we hope to advise you on the compatibility of hardware and software so that your company can get the most out of them.
Hardware
Let’s start with hardware, which was the first to be invented, and the first known computing hardware was recording devices. These were the Phoenicians, who housed animals, grains, and other commodities in clay shapes to symbolise the amount of livestock, grains, and other stuff in containers. Merchants, accountants, and even certain government agencies create these to keep the number of products under control.
History of Hardware
One of the earliest hardware devices in which we can trace down computational ability is the abacus. After that, there were a number of changes in the way people developed machines. But the next level in designing hardware took place when machines started to become programmable. In 1835, Charles Babbage theoretically defined an analytical engine. It employs punch cards for inputs and uses a steam engine for power.
Apart from this, the machine developed by Babbage had gears that worked on the principle of the abacus. Since then, and even now, all computers have an abacus in them. Modern-day computers use automatic abaci or floating-point units in order to complete the work.
What things can you Consider as Hardware In Computers?
Well, hardware is anything that you can physically touch. This is a simple answer, but let’s explore what it means to be computer hardware and what the different types of hardware are present in the computer. Computer hardware uses both mechanical and electronic elements or a combination of both. So let’s find out the different types of hardware which make computing possible.
1. RAM
RAM is a well-known piece of computer hardware. It is used to keep the more frequent information in one place and process it when required. The processing speed of RAM is much higher than a hard drive. But, RAM is volatile in nature, meaning, once the system is powered off, all the information present in RAM goes away. On the other hand, a hard drive’s sole purpose is to keep the data stored permanently till the user deletes it manually.
There are two types of RAM first, Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). The use of DRAM is more common now, and all computing systems use DRAM, while SRAM uses the cache memory of the CPU.
2. Hard Disk
A hard disc is another essential hardware component that needs to be present in every computer. Even smart TVs have it, but the size differs a lot. As we said, a hard disc isn’t a volatile component of a system. As a result, no information stored in this drive is wiped away when a user performs a shutdown. The earlier hard drives were used to contain electromagnet surfaces that could store large chunks of data. A hard drive can store data in Terabytes. The processing speed of a hard drive varies from 4200 to 15000 rotations per minute (RPM). The higher the RPM, the better the reading and writing speeds will be.
In addition to this, SSDs are set to replace hard drives as they don’t have any moving parts in them. The information in the SSD gets stored in a NAND flash which is made from floating-gate transistors. The NAND flash in SSDs is different from the ones used in DRAMs because they are designed to retain their charge state even when they are not powered on, making NAND a non-volatile memory.
3. Monitor
Without a display, you can’t see anything, and this hardware component lets you output the video of processing that is being done by your hardware. For example, if you are playing a video game on a computer and suddenly you take out the display connector. Even then, the other hardware components will be performing their tasks.
But you won’t be able to see what they are doing. In laptops, smartphones and small gadgets, the monitor or a display are prebuilt. So there is no need to install a separate display component. The old computers had CRT panels to display content; nowadays, LCDs have become a mainstream choice for display.
4. CPU
Now, this part is considered to be the heart of a computer, and fair enough, it truly stands on its stature. CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, and this hardware component is responsible for interpreting and executing all the commands and processes that you want to perform. This is the hardware component where the hardware and the software come together.
Every single program, even writing a word on a text file, is executed by the CPU. The CPU chip is made from millions of tiny transistors which are not visible to the naked eye. All the calculations that a program does are performed by these transistors. A better CPU will allow you to perform more heavy tasks and run more complex software as well. If the CPU isn’t strong, no matter how the top of the line other components, you are going to see a dip in the performance.
Note:- The above-mentioned hardware components are essential to make a device perform a computing task. These four components come with peripherals that vary by use case and the type of device you have. For example, if you have a smartphone, you don’t need a keyboard and a mouse because smartphones have a screen keyboard and touch control to allow for input. The same goes for the physical or touch buttons on smart devices like TVs, fridges, and even washing machines.
Software
Software is a computer component that makes the hardware perform the desired tasks. Software is a set of procedures, instructions and routines which are associated with the operations of a system. Apart from this, the software is any component that doesn’t have a physical presence. The software allows hardware components to understand what the user wants. Even supercomputers that are crunching hundreds of terabytes of data can’t understand the human language as they are still using binary. A number of early programs were developed using only binary. But to develop a program with binary takes time and is a tedious task as well.
So the software becomes the mediator, with the software user giving instructions to the hardware component to perform a task. These instructions were then translated into computer language that can be understood by various hardware components which are present in the system. There are two types of software: the first is system software, and the second is application software. We will discuss them in the upcoming sections.
History of Software
Everything that you see on a screen is something that runs on software. The software could be complex or simple, depending on your requirements. The actual term software came around the 1950s, before a number of programs were created to support the hardware. Many of those were not available commercially and were designed to work with specific sets of hardware. As a result, people have to write their own programs. Even though it was a long process, it still has the advantage of being tailored for the specific needs of the user.
Then computer hardware started to become small enough, and they were sold commercially, which made it necessary for the software to be prevalent. An average user doesn’t have time and the knowledge to create new software on their own. So came the invention of system software, also known as operating systems. These help a user to launch the other software that they need to perform a specific task. One of the first ever commercially sold software was MS-DOS, which was sold on early IBM computers. This implementation of adding a program to your computer quickly became popular, which led to the evolution of software development. From there onwards, software became more complex and could easily accept different forms of inputs.
Then came floppy discs in which companies like IBM and Microsoft put their operating systems and other programs. These floppy discs were bundled up with the computer hardware and with text instructions on how to install them. Now users are able to keep more than one program on their system and don’t have to worry about switching the floppy disks. This made systems work efficiently.
Different Categories of Software
There are four different types of software that you use in modern computing, and each one of them is described below:-
Programming Software
Programming software is a tool designed to help developers create programs that can run on computers and other smart devices. The most common programming software are compilers, linkers, debuggers, interpreters, and text editors.
System Software
The second is system software which works as a base for application software. This software comes with device drivers, operating systems, compilers and other utilities, which helps a system to perform specific tasks with more efficiency. Apart from this, the system software is also responsible for managing and handling hardware components and providing non-task-specific functions. Most of the system software is written in the C programming language.
Application Software
These are designed to perform a specific task; examples include office suites, gaming applications, database systems, and other educational software such as Byjus. Application software could be a single program, or it could be a collection of small programs that are being used for a single purpose. According to a survey, these types of applications are more commonly known as software to the general public.
Malicious Software (Malware)
These types of software are specifically designed to harm the computer in which they are installed. The malware acts in secret, and the user who downloads and instals it on their system doesn’t know what the software is up to. Some of the examples of malware are spyware, computer viruses, Trojan horses, worms, Adware, etc. All these are developed to harm your system in one way or the other.
Difference between System Software & Application Software
People often misunderstand system software as application software. To clear the distinction between the two, we have come up with the main differences which set them apart from each other.
| System Software | Application Software |
| These are general-purpose software that is developed to manage basic system resources and processes. | These are the software that is designed to perform a specific task to meet the user’s needs. |
| System software is written in low-level assembly language. As a result, they have to meet specific hardware needs as they interact with the hardware closely. | They use high-level programming languages like Python and Javascript. |
| You need to install them at the time of OS installation, and this is also done by the manufacturer. | No hardware considerations were taken into account, and it doesn’t interact with the hardware directly. |
| The system software runs every time your computer is turned on. | These software programs are installed when a user or an administrator needs them. |
| A user doesn’t have access to it even though this software runs in the background all the time. | A user has the authority to start and stop the program. |
| Lastly, they run independently and are necessary for the system to perform the required functions. | A computer can run without it, so it doesn’t automatically start when a system is turned on. |
Open Source Software
Many of the well-known software programs in the world are open source. Open-source software is a program that can be modified according to your requirements. Also, after the changes, the same software can be shared among other users without breaking any licensing violation. Apart from this, open-source software has its source code present in a public repository.
Now, what makes free software different from open source is that it is free software. You don’t have access to the source code, which can be edited. Free software is termed “freedom software.” This gives users the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, and improve the software. Keep in mind that no hardware can be obtained for free. No matter how small it is, it will still have some cost or will be bundled with the other hardware. Some of the common examples of free software are MySQL, Apache web server, Sendmail mail transport agent.
Side by Side Difference Between Hardware and Software
| Hardware | Software |
| We can define hardware as a component that is required to store and run the software. | We can define software programs as a set of instructions that allows a user to interact with the computer. On the other hand, the software makes it possible for the user to perform a specific task, as opposed to the physical component of the system, which is known as hardware. |
| Hardware can be of the external and internal form. It could also be storage and a processing component. | There are four types of software, system, programming, application and malware software. |
| Hardware is used to serve the software solutions, and hardware can’t be frequently changed or created. You need to take out the hardware which you want to change physically. | The prominent role of software is to perform a specific task that is given by a user to the computer. Software is not required for the hardware to perform its basic level operations. |
| Hardware will only work once the system software is loaded in when the computer is turned on. | Software is installed on hardware to provide severability of their instructions which are given by the user. |
| Hardware failures are pretty common and random when they have surpassed their life expectancy. As a result, the hardware wears out over time due to heat and because of the moving parts. | The software doesn’t have an increasing failure rate, but it does have a systematic failure. There are no durability issues in the software, and it does not wear out with time. But during the usage, bugs can be found in software that needs to be fixed. |
| Hardware is physical in nature, meaning you can touch it with your hands. | Software is virtual in nature, meaning you cannot touch it physically or install or uninstall it from your computer. |
| Examples of hardware are keyboard, mouse, CD ROM, pen drive, SSD, graphic card, RAM etc. | Some of the examples of software running on your computer are QuickBooks, Adobe Premiere Pro, Microsoft Word, Apple Maps and many more. |
Wrapping Up
Discussed above are some of the main differences between hardware and software. Both of these components are important for a system to perform the designated task. If one of them is missing, the other component won’t work. If there is anything else that you might want to know about hardware and software, do let us know in the comment section.
People are also reading: