HARDWARE

Computer hardware refers to the physical devices that make up a computer. Examples include the keyboard,
monitor and disk drive.
Hardware devices can be classified into four distinct categories:
Input devices: For raw data input.
Processing devices: To process raw data instructions into information.
Output devices: To disseminate data and information.
Storage devices: For data and information retention.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

Hardware and software both are interdependent on each other. Each of them should work along to
form computer produce a helpful output.
The software can not be used if there is no support of any hardware device.
When there is no proper instructions given, the hardware cannot be used and is useless.
To get a selected job done on the pc, the relevant software package has to be loaded into the
hardware.
Hardware could be a former expense.
Software development is incredibly pricey and could be a continued expense.
The different software package can be loaded on hardware to run totally different jobs.
The software acts as an associate interface between the user and therefore the hardware.
We can say the hardware and software are the heart and soul of a digital computer.

What is a Software?
In a computer system, the software is basically a set of instructions or commands that tell a computer what to do. In
other words, the software is a computer program that provides a set of instructions to execute a user’s commands
and tell the computer what to do. For example like MS-Word, MS-Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Early software was written for specific computers and sold with the hardware it ran on. In the 1980s, software began
to be sold on floppy disks, and later on CDs and DVDs. Today, most software is purchased and directly downloaded
over the internet. Software can be found on vendor websites or application service provider websites.
Types of Software It is a collection of data that is given to the computer to complete a particular task. The
chart below describes the types of software:

Above is the diagram of types of software. Now we will briefly describe each type and its subtypes:
 1. System Software
● Operating System
● Language Processor
● Device Driver
2. Application Software
● General Purpose Software
● Customize Software
● Utility Software

System Software
System software is software that directly operates the computer hardware and provides the basic functionality to
the users as well as to the other software to operate smoothly. System software is designed to run a computer's
hardware and provides a platform for applications to run on top of.
Or in other words, system software basically controls a computer’s internal functioning and also controls hardware
devices such as monitors, printers, and storage devices, etc. It is like an interface between hardware and user
applications, it helps them to communicate with each other because hardware understands machine language(i.e. 1
or 0) whereas user applications are work in human-readable languages like English, Hindi, German, etc. so system
software converts the human-readable language into machine language and vice versa.

Types of System Software

It has two subtypes which are:

Operating System: It is the main program of a computer system. When the computer system ON it is the
first software that loads into the computer’s memory. Basically, it manages all the resources such as
computer memory, CPU, printer, hard disk, etc., and provides an interface to the user, which helps the user
to interact with the computer system. It also provides various services to other computer software.
Examples of operating systems are Linux, Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows, etc.

Language Processor: As we know that system software converts the human-readable language into a
machine language and vice versa. So, the conversion is done by the language processor. It converts
programs written in high-level programming languages like Java, C, C++, Python, etc(known as source
code), into sets of instructions that are easily readable by machines(known as object code or machine code).

i) Compiler :
The language processor that reads the complete source program written in high-level
language as a whole in one go and translates it into an equivalent program in machine
language is called a Compiler. Example: C, C++, C#.
In a compiler, the source code is translated to object code successfully if it is free of errors.
The compiler specifies the errors at the end of the compilation with line numbers when
there are any errors in the source code. The errors must be removed before the compiler
can successfully recompile the source code again the object program can be executed
number of times without translating it again.
ii) Assembler :
The Assembler is used to translate the program written in Assembly language into
machine code. The source program is an input of an assembler that contains assembly
language instructions. The output generated by the assembler is the object code or
machine code understandable by the computer. Assembler is basically the 1st interface
that is able to communicate humans with the machine. We need an Assembler to fill the
gap between human and machine so that they can communicate with each other. code
written in assembly language is some sort of mnemonics(instructions) like ADD, MUL,
MUX, SUB, DIV, MOV and so on. and the assembler is basically able to convert these
mnemonics in Binary code. Here, these mnemonics also depend upon the architecture of
the machine.
For example, the architecture of intel 8085 and intel 8086 are different.

iii) Interpreter :
The translation of a single statement of the source program into machine code is done by a
language processor and executes immediately before moving on to the next line is called
an interpreter. If there is an error in the statement, the interpreter terminates its translating
process at that statement and displays an error message. The interpreter moves on to the
next line for execution only after the removal of the error. An Interpreter directly executes
instructions written in a programming or scripting language without previously converting
them to an object code or machine code. An interpreter translates one line at a time and
then executes it.
 Device Driver: A device driver is a program or software that controls a device and helps that device to
perform its functions. Every device like a printer, mouse, modem, etc. needs a driver to connect with the
computer system eternally. So, when you connect a new device with your computer system, first you need
to install the driver of that device so that your operating system knows how to control or manage that
device.

Features of System Software

Let us discuss some of the features of System Software:

● System Software is closer to the computer system.

● System Software is written in a low-level language in general.
● System software is difficult to design and understand.
● System software is fast in speed(working speed).
● System software is less interactive for the users in comparison to application software.

Application Software
Software that performs special functions or provides functions that are much more than the basic operation of the
computer is known as application software. Or in other words, application software is designed to perform a specific
task for end-users. It is a product or a program that is designed only to fulfill end-users’ requirements. It includes
word processors, spreadsheets, database management, inventory, payroll programs, etc.

Types of Application Software

There are different types of application software and those are:

1. General Purpose Software: This type of application software is used for a variety of tasks and it is not
limited to performing a specific task only. For example, MS-Word, MS-Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
2. Customized Software: This type of application software is used or designed to perform specific tasks or
functions or designed for specific organizations. For example, railway reservation system, airline
reservation system, invoice management system, etc.
3. Utility Software: This type of application software is used to support the computer infrastructure. It is
designed to analyze, configure, optimize and maintains the system, and take care of its requirements as
well. For example, antivirus, disk fragmenter, memory tester, disk repair, disk cleaners, registry cleaners,
disk space analyzer, etc.
Features of Application Software

Let us discuss some of the features of Application Software:

● An important feature of application software is it performs more specialized tasks like word processing,
spreadsheets, email, etc.
● Mostly, the size of the software is big, so it requires more storage space.
● Application software is more interactive for the users, so it is easy to use and design.
● The application software is easy to design and understand.
● Application software is written in a high-level language in general.

Difference Between System Software and Application Software

Now, let us discuss some difference between system software and application software:

System Software Application Software

It is designed to manage the resources of the

It is designed to fulfill the requirements of the user for
computer system, like memory and process
performing specific tasks.
management, etc.

Written in a low-level language. Written in a high-level language.

Less interactive for the users. More interactive for the users.

System software plays vital role for the Application software is not so important for the functioning
effective functioning of a system. of the system, as it is task specific.

It needs system software to run.

It is independent of the application software
to run.
Input and Output Devices

1) Keyboard
The keyboard is a basic input device that is used to enter data into a computer or any other electronic device
by pressing keys. It has different sets of keys for letters, numbers, characters, and functions. Keyboards are
connected to a computer through USB or a Bluetooth device for wireless communication.

2) Mouse
The mouse is a hand-held input device which is used to move cursor or pointer across the screen. It is
designed to be used on a flat surface and generally has left and right button and a scroll wheel between
them. Laptop computers come with a touchpad that works as a mouse. It lets you control the movement of
cursor or pointer by moving your finger over the touchpad. Some mouse comes with integrated features
such as extra buttons to perform different buttons.

The mouse was invented by Douglas C. Engelbart in 1963. Early mouse had a roller ball integrated as a
movement sensor underneath the device. Modern mouse devices come with optical technology that
controls cursor movements by a visible or invisible light beam. A mouse is connected to a computer through
different ports depending on the type of computer and type of a mouse.

Common types of the mouse:

i) Trackball Mouse:

It is a stationary input device that has ball mechanism to move the pointer or cursor
on the screen. The ball is half inserted in the device and can be easily rolled with finger, thumb or the palm
to move the pointer on the screen. The device has sensor to detect the rotation of ball. It remains stationary;
you don't need to move it on the operating surface. So, it is an ideal device if you have limited desk space as
you don't need to move it like a mouse.

ii) Mechanical Mouse:

It has a system of a ball and several rollers to track its

movement. It is a corded type of mouse. A mechanical mouse
can be used for high performance. The drawback is that they
tend to get dust into the mechanics and thus require regular
cleaning.
iii) Optical Mouse:

An optical mouse uses optical electronics to track its movement. It is more reliable than a mechanical
mouse and also requires less maintenance. However, its performance is affected by the surface on which it
is operated. Plain non-glossy mouse mat should be used for best results. The rough surface may cause
problems for the optical recognition system, and the glossy surface may reflect the light wrongly and thus
may cause tracking issues.

iv) Cordless or Wireless Mouse

As the name suggests, this type of mouse lacks cable and uses wireless technology such as IrDA (infrared)
or radio (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) to control the movement of the cursor. It is used to improve the experience of
using a mouse. It uses batteries for its power supply.

3) Scanner
The scanner uses the pictures and pages of text as input. It scans the picture or a document. The scanned
picture or document then converted into a digital format or file and is displayed on the screen as an output.
It uses optical character recognition techniques to convert images into digital ones. Some of the common
types of scanners are as follows:

Types of Scanner:

i) Flatbed Scanner:

It has a glass pane and a moving optical CIS or CCD array. The light illuminates the pane, and then the image
is placed on the glass pane. The light moves across the glass pane and scans the document and thus
produces its digital copy. You will need a transparency adapter while scanning transparent slides.

ii) Handheld Scanner:

It is a small manual scanning device which is held by hand and is rolled

over a flat image that is to be scanned. The drawback in using this device
is that the hand should be steady while scanning; otherwise, it may
distort the image. One of the commonly used handheld scanners is the
barcode scanner which you would have seen in shopping stores.

iii) Drum Scanner:

 Drum scanner has a photomultiplier tube (PMT) to scan images.
It does not have a charge-coupled device like a flatbed scanner.
The photomultiplier tube is extremely sensitive to light. The image
is placed on a glass tube, and the light moves across the image,
which produces a reflection of the image which is captured by the
PMT and processed. These scanners have high resolution and are
suitable for detailed scans.

4) Joystick
A joystick is also a pointing input device like a mouse. It is made up of a stick with a
spherical base. The base is fitted in a socket that allows free movement of the stick.
The movement of stick controls the cursor or pointer on the screen.

The frist joystick was invented by C. B. Mirick at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
A joystick can be of different types such as displacement joysticks, finger-operated
joysticks, hand operated, isometric joystick, and more. In joystick, the cursor keeps
moving in the direction of the joystick unless it is upright, whereas, in mouse, the
cursor moves only when the mouse moves.

5) Light Pen
A light pen is a computer input device that looks like a pen. The tip of the light pen contains a light-sensitive
detector that enables the user to point to or select objects on the display screen. Its light sensitive tip detects
the object location and sends the corresponding signals to the CPU. It is not compatible with LCD screens,
so it is not in use today. It also helps you draw on the screen if needed. The first light pen was invented
around 1955 as a part of the Whirlwind project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

6) Digitizer
Digitizer is a computer input device that has
a flat surface and usually comes with a
stylus. It enables the user to draw images
and graphics using the stylus as we draw on
paper with a pencil. The images or graphics
drawn on the digitizer appear on the
computer monitor or display screen. The
software converts the touch inputs into lines
and can also convert handwritten text to
typewritten words.

It can be used to capture handwritten

signatures and data or images from taped
papers. Furthermore, it is also used to receive information in the form of drawings and send output to a CAD
(Computer-aided design) application and software like AutoCAD. Thus, it allows you to convert hand-drawn
images into a format suitable for computer processing.

8) Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

 MICR computer input device is designed to read the text printed with
magnetic ink. MICR is a character recognition technology that makes use of special magnetized ink which
is sensitive to magnetic fields. It is widely used in banks to process the cheques and other organizations
where security is a major concern. It can process three hundred cheques in a minute with hundred-percent
accuracy. The details on the bottom of the cheque (MICR No.) are written with magnetic ink. A laser printer
with MICR toner can be used to print the magnetic ink.

The device reads the details and sends to a computer for processing. A document printed in magnetic ink
is required to pass through a machine which magnetizes the ink, and the magnetic information is then
translated into characters.

9) Optical Character Reader (OCR)

OCR computer input device is designed to convert the scanned images of handwritten, typed or printed text
into digital text. It is widely used in offices and libraries to convert documents and books into electronic files.

It processes and copies the physical form of a document using a scanner. After copying the documents, the
OCR software converts the documents into a two-color (black and white), version called bitmap. Then it is
analyzed for light and dark areas, where the dark areas are selected as characters, and the light area is
identified as background. It is widely used to convert hard copy legal or historic documents into PDFs. The
converted documents can be edited if required like we edit documents created in ms word.

What is an Output Device?

The output devices are used to convert the computer produced output into human-readable form.
The output device takes information from the computer and presents it in the form of projection,
display, or on paper.
1. Monitor

A computer’s principal output device is a monitor, often known as a visual display unit (VDU). It
displays the processed data like text, images, videos, audios, etc. It makes images by arranging
microscopic dots in a rectangular pattern, known as pixels. The sharpness of an image is
determined by the number of pixels. There are two types of monitor viewing screens:
Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT): This type of monitor is based on a cathode ray tube. In which
the cathode ray tube generates a beam of electrons with the help of electron guns they

strike on the inner surface of phosphorescent of the

screen to generate images. The CRT monitor holds millions of phosphorus dotes in three
different colors, i.e., red, blue, and green. These dots glow when the beam struck on them
and create an image. The main parts of the CRT monitor are the electron gun, fluorescent
screen, glass envelope, deflection plate assembly, and base.

LCD Monitor
The LCD monitor is a flat panel screen that is compact and light-weight as compared to CRT monitors. It is
based on liquid crystal display technology which is used in the screens of laptops, tablets, smart phones,
etc. An LCD screen comprises two layers of polarized glass with a liquid crystal solution between them.
When the light passes through the first layer, an electric current aligns the liquids crystals. The aligned liquid
crystals allow a varying level of light to pass through the second layer to create images on the screen.

Plasma Monitor: It is also a flat panel display but it is based on plasma display technology. In a
plasma monitor, a small cell is present in between two glass surfaces and these cells contain a
solution of noble gases and mercury. So when the electricity supply on the gas present in the cell
converts into plasma and produces UV light that creates an image. It is much better than an LCD
monitor. The resolution of this monitor is also high up to 1920 x 1920. It has a good contrast
ratio, high refresh rate, etc.
Characteristics of Monitor:
● Resolution pixels: Pixels are the smallest element of any image
● Size: The size of the monitor is diagonal measurement of a desktop screen is typically
14 to 25 inches.
● Refresh Rate: Total number of times per second that an image on a display is repainted
or refreshed.

2. Printer

Printers are information output devices that allow you to print data on paper. Or in other words, it
is an output device that creates a hard copy of the processed data or information. Printers are
divided into two categories:
● Impact Printer: In impact printers, characters are printed on the ribbon, which is then
smashed on the paper. Or we can say that such type of printer uses a print head or
hammer to print the data on the paper. Here to print the paper the hammer or print
head strikes an ink ribbon against the paper and the character starts printing. Some of
the types of impact printers are:
● Dot matrix printer
● Daisy wheel printer
● Line printer
● Chain printer
● Non-Impact Printers: Non-impact printers print characters without the use of a ribbon.
These printers are often known as page printers because they print a full page at a time.
Some of the types of non-impact printers are:
● Laser printer
● Inkjet printer

3. Plotter
A plotter is a device that prints high-quality graphics in a variety of color formats. It works in a
similar way to a printer, although it has more advanced features. It is used to print large maps,
architectural drawings, large-format printing, and create pictures, 3D postcards, advertising signs,
charts, and various designs of the internal structure of building machines, as well as create pictures,
3D postcards, advertising signs, charts, and various designs of the internal structure of building
machines.

4.Projector

A projector is a device that allows users to project their output onto a large area, such as a screen
or a wall. It can be used to project the output of a computer and other devices onto a screen. It
magnifies texts, photos, and movies using light and lenses. As a result, it’s an excellent output
device for giving presentations or teaching big groups of people.
Characteristics of Projector:
● They are lightweight, and one person can easily take them out of the box, connect them,
and hang an image on the wall.
● Projectors can be the most cost-effective option for large-screen video in your home.
● A small projector mounted on a back shelf or bookcase, or mounted on the ceiling, takes
up no area on the floor. It is barely visible when it is not in use.

5. Speakers

Speakers are connected to computers to allow sound to be output. For the working of speakers,
sound cards are required. From simple two-speaker output devices to surround-sound multi-
channel sets, speakers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They take audio input from the
computer’s sound card and output sound waves as audio output.
Characteristics of Speakers:
● Speakers are available in a wide range of qualities and prices.
● Small, plastic computer speakers with low sound quality are often included with
computer systems.