When you talk about computers, you quickly hear the terms: hardware and software. Make certain you understand the differences.

Hardware

• Everything you can put your hands on. As its name implies, hardware is all physical parts associated with the computer.

Computer systems vary widely in how the hardware is configured; what that hardware does is similar in all systems. Below are 4 designations commonly seen:

• Microcomputers
  Smallest computers (desktop and personal). They are inexpensive and can come in sizes down to those that fit easily in your palm.
• Minicomputers
  Moderate-sized computer. Used when a desktop computer is not powerful enough to do the job.
• Mainframes
  Large computers with fast processing speeds and access to billions of characters of data.
• Supercomputers
  Computers built to minimize distance between points for very fast operation. Used for extremely complicated computations.

The division between different types of hardware is quickly blurring. While the distinctions made above hold true as general definitions, you will often find hybrids that fill the spaces between clear type differences. For example, superminis have been developed with much of the power of a mainframe computer but designed for a single purpose (e.g., computers designed for processing graphic images).

Microcomputers have likewise grown in power to where the more powerful could now be called minicomputers using definitions from a couple of years back.

Computer classification is an art rather then a science. As new supercomputers are introduced mainframes take on the power of the older supercomputers. Likewise, as each new microcomputer is introduced it has the power of the minicomputer of just a few years before.

As computer hardware progresses the desk computer becomes ever more powerful and can become a better tool if used properly.

Software

• All instructions and data necessary to make the computer function.

Software is divided into two subcategories:

• Operating System: Set of housekeeping instructions. The operating system keeps track of instructions and data in use.
• Application Programs: Specific set of computer instructions to perform a given task (like word processing).

 Hardware Elements