Page Char/Para Layout Req ToC Discussion Effort Total

format format

x2 x2 x2 x1 x1 x1 x1

/20 /20 /20 /10 /10 /10 /10 /100

CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

Table of Contents
Hardware vs Software ............................................................................................... 2
What is Computer Hardware? ................................................................................... 2
Different Types of Hardware .................................................................................. 2
Input devices ...................................................................................................... 3
Output devices ................................................................................................... 3
Storage devices .................................................................................................. 3
Internal devices .................................................................................................. 3
External devices ................................................................................................. 4
Internal components ........................................................................................... 4
What is Computer Software? .................................................................................... 4
Different Types of Software ................................................................................... 4
System software ................................................................................................. 5
Programming software .............................................................................................. 5
Discussion ................................................................................................................ 8

WORD PROCESSOR 1
CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

In this write up we will explain about computer hardware and software. After going
through this article, you will be able to understand:

1. the types of computer hardware and software

2. the difference between hardware and software
3. usages of hardware and software

Hardware vs Software

What is Computer Hardware?

Several components in a computer working together are called hardware. It consists

of mechanical devices such as a CPU, keyboard, mouse, speaker, monitor, printer,
hard disk, and so on. All these devices can be touched and felt.

Different Types of Hardware

There are a lot of hardware devices available but we need to select the right device
with the correct specification to get the best performance results. All the devices vary
in size, cost, and specification. We need to choose the compatible one.

Some of the different types of hardware are:

WORD PROCESSOR 2
CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

Input devices

With the help of these devices, data is provided to the computer. They feed the data
such as text, image, and sound and help in file transfers between different devices
and the computer.

Output devices

This is a device that converts information to a human-readable format. These devices

are normally used for display.

It extracts the information from the computer and displays it to the user. The monitor
is the most prominent output device.

Storage devices

These are the devices that help to store the data and are further subdivided into
primary and secondary memory. RAM (Random Access Memory) is the primary
memory and it retains data only when the computer is switched on. All the instructions
are read and executed from the memory through the central processing unit and
accelerated processing unit. Secondary memory does not directly communicate with
the microprocessor. This type of memory is non-volatile and is subdivided into two
categories. They are

Internal devices

These devices are always placed on the computer. Eg – Hard disk

WORD PROCESSOR 3
CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

External devices

These are external devices that are connected to the computer using plug and play.
Eg – An external hard disk

Internal components

These are the processing unit of the computer. They are generally called as brain of
the computer. They send signals to all the other parts of the computer, thus controlling
the entire computer system. This is usually termed CPU (Central Processing Unit).
The CPU consists of three components:

1. Memory or storage unit

2. Control unit
3. ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)

What is Computer Software?

Computer software helps the computer to perform the task using programs. It is
generally a language that a computer understands.

Different Types of Software

In the world of technology, we come across various software that helps us to make
our lives easier and help our business grow. Software plays a very important role in

WORD PROCESSOR 4
CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

computer technology. If there was no web browser software, we would not be able to
access the internet on our computers.

System software

System software acts as a middle layer between the user and a computer. They
communicate with all the hardware components in the computer and also control the
CPU, memory, and other devices. When we switch on the computer the system
software is the first application that gets initialized and hence it manages the entire
computer system.

This system software is loaded in memory and keeps running in the background. Two
main types of system software are the operating system and utility software. Utility
software is installed with an operating system. Both software is dependent on each
other and does not work independently. Some of the utility software are compilers,
editors, and drivers.

Programming software

This software is usually used by computer programmers. Most internet applications

use Java or PHP as a programming language.

Using programming language all the software programs and applications are
developed and tested.

Application software

WORD PROCESSOR 5
CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

Application software is generally used by the end-users to perform any task. MS Word
or PowerPoint applications are designed for the user to write a document or prepare
presentations.

The apps that we find on mobiles or tablets are all application software. Software that
is used in the banking domain, telephone, airline, railways, software industries, etc
comes under application software.

Why do we need software?

In this era of software technology, software is very useful and important in day-to-day
life. Software is everywhere starting from TV, Mobile, Computers, Electrical
appliances, Alarm clocks, etc. Software applications are developed to enhance our
life. We make use of it on websites, simulators, and electronic devices which helps us
save time and money.

Uses or Advantages of Software

The main advantage of computer software is that it reduces the cost of manual effort.
Every software is designed for a specific use. Information can be saved and retrieved
quickly using the software.

There are various types of software available in the market these days. Computer
software is immensely used in education, work, offices, entertainment, medicine, law,
airlines, railways, and many other fields.

WORD PROCESSOR 6
CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

Not to forget computers and software have also introduced several harmful inventions
like theft, hacking, and computer viruses.

Statistically looking at all the uses of software in the modern era, there are a lot of
benefits in the way we communicate, and transact business.

Examples of Computer Hardware and Software

Computer hardware consists of physical components in a computer and examples are

as follows:

Input devices –Mouse, Keyboard, Touchpad, Scanners, Joystick, Webcam, etc.

Output devices – Monitor, Printer, Headphones, Speakers, etc.

Storage devices – Hard disk, DVD, etc.

Internal components – Motherboard, CPU, RAM, etc.

Following are the examples of Computer Software:

System software – Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista, compilers,

translators, interpreters, etc.

Programming software – Android, Linux, C++, Java, Unix, etc.

Application software – Word processors, Database software, Multimedia software,

Graphics software, etc.

WORD PROCESSOR 7
CSC034 WARDIAH BINTI CHE’ ZAMZAM

Discussion

Importance of Computer in Daily Life

In this century, most of the people in this world will use computer to complete their work or fill their
free time by doing something fun in the computer. Computer can be useful to a lot of people
including students. It also can be used in the field of academic in universities and school. Students
usually use this device to complete their assignments such as slides for presentation and transfer
files from this device to another. Computers are able to transfer and store a lot of files such as
images, video, audio and many more. Hence, we can keep many important files in our computer for
our own usage in the future. In addition, we can install many type of software in this device to
complete some tasks. For instance, word software and editing software. All of this software can
make our life easier without using manual effort and save our time from being wasted.

WORD PROCESSOR 8