30 Hardware and Software Examples - encyclopedia

Video: Computer Science Basics: Hardware and Software

Content

Hardware examples
Software examples
Can serve you

In computing, the terms hardware and software they allude to different aspects of every computer system: the physical and digital aspects respectively, body and soul of every computer.

Thehardware It is the set of physical parts that make up the body of a computerized system: the electrical plates, circuits, mechanisms and devices, as well as processing, support and connection.

In fact, hardware can be classified and ordered according to its role in the overall system process:

Processing hardware. The heart of the system enters, calculates and solves the operations necessary for its operation.
Storage hardware. It serves to contain the information and data of the system. It can be primary (internal) or secondary (removable).
Peripheral hardware. It is the set of attachments and accessories that can be incorporated into the system to provide it with new functions.
Input hardware. It allows data to be entered into the system by the user or operator, or from telecommunications networks and systems.
Output hardware. It allows to extract information from the system or send it to telecommunications networks.
Mixed hardware. It fulfills the functions of input and output at the same time.

The software it is the intangible content of the system: the set of programs, instructions and languages that carry out the tasks and serve as an interface with the user. In turn, the software can be classified according to its main function in:

System or basic software (OS). They are in charge of regulating the operation of the system and guaranteeing its maintenance. They are usually incorporated into the system before the user accesses it. Eg Windows 10.
app software. All those additional programs that can be incorporated into the computer once the operating system is installed and that allow to carry out a myriad of possible tasks, from word processors to internet browsers or design tools or video games. Eg Chrome, Paint.

As a whole, hardware Y software they make up the entire computer system.

It can serve you: Examples of Free Software

Hardware examples

Monitorsor screens, in which the information and processes are displayed for the user. They are usually considered output hardware, although there are touch monitors that allow data entry as well (mixed).
Keyboard and mouse, the classic mechanisms of input or incorporation of data by the user, the first through buttons (keys) and the second through movements mainly.
Video-cameras. Also calls webcamsSince they became popular with the advent of the Internet and video conferencing, they are a typical input mechanism for image and audio.
Processor. The CPU core (Central Processing Unit), it is a chip capable of performing thousands of calculations per second and that provides the central information processing power to the computer system.
Network card. A set of electronic circuits integrated into the CPU motherboard and that give the computer the possibility of interacting with different remote data networks.
RAM Memory Modules. Circuits that integrate various random access memory modules into the system (RAM where the various system processes will be executed.
Printers. Very common peripherals that transcribe digital information handled by the system (output) to paper. There are various models and trends, some of which even allow data to be entered from a scanner (mixed).
Scanners. Input peripherals, which digitize the content entered in the best use of a photocopier or the now defunct faxes, and allow it to be digitally reproduced for sending, storage or editing.
Modem. Communications component, often integrated into the computer, responsible for managing the data transmission (output) protocols for connection to computer networks.
Hard drives. The storage hardware par excellence, contains the basic information of any computer system and also allows the data entered by the user to be archived. It is not removable and is located inside the CPU.
CD / DVD reader. Mechanism of reading (and often writing, that is, mixed) of removable discs in CD or DVD format (or both). It is used to extract and save information from said media, for its physical extraction and transfer or to reinsert it into the system from original matrices.
Pendrivers. The most practical information transfer peripheral available to date, it allows you to quickly enter and extract data from the system into its memory storage body and carry it in a pocket. It connects via USB ports and is usually quick, easy and discreet.
Electric battery. Although it may not seem like it, the power source is an essential accessory for the system, especially in computers or portable digital devices, but also in desktop or fixed ones, since it allows to keep certain sectors of the system always working, such as those in charge. to perpetuate the time and date, or similar information.
Floppy drives. Now extinct globally, floppy drives read and wrote information on floppy disks, a very popular storage medium during the 1980s and 1990s. Today they are nothing more than a relic.
Video cards. Similar to those of the network, but focused on the processing of visual information, they allow greater and better displays of information on the screen, and novel models are often necessary for the execution of design software or even cinematographic video games.

Software examples

Microsoft Windows. Perhaps the most popular operating system in the world, used in thousands of IBM computers and that allows the management and interaction of the different computer segments from a user friendly environment, based on windows that overlap with the information.
Mozilla Firefox. One of the most popular Internet browsers, available for free download. Allows user interaction with the world Wide Web, as well as conducting data searches and other types of virtual interactions.
Microsoft Word. Probably the most popular word processor in the world, part of the Microsoft Office suite, which includes tools for business, database management, presentation building, etc.
Google Chrome. Google's browser imposed a paradigm of lightness and speed in the field of Internet browsers and quickly became popular among Internet fans. Its success was such that it opened the door to projects for Google operating systems and other software to come.
Adobe Photoshop. Application for image editing, development of visual design content and various photographic retouching, aesthetic composition and other tasks from Adobe Inc. It is undoubtedly a popular software in the world of graphic design.
Microsoft Excel. Another tool from Microsoft's Office suite, this time to create and manage databases and information tables. It is extremely useful for administrative and accounting tasks.
SkypeVery popular telecommunications software, which allows video calls or even videoconferences over the Internet for free. Even if you do not have a camera or do not want to use it, it can become a simile of telephone calls, using data instead of telephone impulses.
CCleaner.Digital cleaning and maintenance tool for the computer's operating system, capable of detecting and eliminating malicious software (viruses, malware) and accommodating registry errors or other consequences of the actual use of the system.
AVG Antivirus. A defense application: protects the system from possible intrusions by third parties or malicious software from infected networks or other storage media. It acts as a digital antibody and protective shield.
Winamp. Music player for both IBM and Macintosh systems is free to distribute and keeps up with trends in internet radio, podcasts and more.
Nero CD / DVD Burner. Out of use, this tool allowed you to personally manage your CD or DVD writing drives, as long as you had the appropriate hardware.
VLC Player. Video playback software in various compression formats, allowing the multimedia display of audio and images required to watch movies or series in digital.
Comix. A popular digital comic viewer, which allows you to open image files of various formats to have a reading experience similar to that of the physical comic, being able to determine the size, zoom of the image, etc.
OneNote. This tool is used to take and manage personal notes, just like a notebook would in your pocket. Using it, you have quick access to lists, notes or reminders, so it also acts as an agenda.
MediaMonkey. An application that allows you to play, order and manage music and video files, through a series of libraries that serve the author, album, and other relevant information, as well as synchronize them with mobile devices such as music players and cell phones.