1. Lesson 2 : Hardware & Software
Certificate I in Information
Technology
2. • To perform any desired action using a computer, you
must have both hardware and software.
• Software brings the computer to life!
Hardware
Software
3. Hardware
• Hardware refers to
the physical parts
of a computer.
• They are things
which you can
touch and feel.
• Peripherals;
hardware attached
to a computer,
which expands its Source: http://www.coolnerds.com/newbies/hardware/hardware.htm
capabilities
14. Software
• A software is a collection of instructions (code) that
enables a user to interact with the computer or have
the computer perform specific tasks for them.
• Without any software, the computer hardware
would be useless.
• Software are created using computer programming
languages. E.g. Java, C++, Visual Basic, etc.
15. Types of Software
1) Systems software
Systems software are responsible for controlling, integrating, and
managing the individual hardware components of a computer system.
They also act as an interface between other software and hardware.
Systems software work in a way that other software and the users of
the system see it as a functional unit without having to be concerned
with the low-level details (e.g.: transferring data from memory to disk,
or rendering text onto a display).
16. Types of Software
1) Systems software
Generally, these consists of an operating system (OS) and some
fundamental utilities.
E.g. of OS: Microsoft Windows, Linux, Max OS, Solaris, Unix, etc.
E.g. of system utilities: BIOS software, networking and device
control software, hardware drivers, hard disk sector boot software,
disk formatting software etc.).
17. Types of Software
2) Application software
Application software are used to accomplish specific tasks other
than just running the computer system.
18. Types of Software
2) Application software
Application software may consist of
- a single program
e.g. Firefox, iTunes, Microsoft Paint, Notepad, Skype, etc.
- a collection of programs (software package/suite)
e.g. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, Project,
etc.) and Adobe Creative Suite (Adobe Acrobat, Dreamweaver,
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.)
21. Primary Storage Devices / Internal Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Stores program instructions and data temporarily
+ Volatile: the data gets erased when the component loses power
+ Directly accessible to the CPU
+ Faster than secondary storage devices like hard disks
22. Secondary Storage Devices / External Memory
Read Only Memory (ROM)
Memory that is capable of holding data and having that data read from the
chip, but not written to.
+ Non-volatile: the data stored does not get erased when the chip loses power
+ Data stored in these chips is either unchangeable or requires a special operation
to change
+ Contain essential start-up data or instructions
23. Secondary Storage Devices / External Memory
Read Only Memory (ROM)
e.g.: BIOS (Basic Input/Output System); programmed for controlling the system's
main input-output interfaces.
BIOS is a built-in software that determines what a computer can do without
accessing programs from a disk.
On PCs, the BIOS contains all the code required to control the keyboard, display
screen, disk drives, etc.
24. Secondary Storage Devices / External Memory
+ Non-volatile: the data does not get erased when the drive loses power
+ Not directly accessible to the CPU; CPU uses input/output channels to access data
+ Slower than primary storage devices (memory) like RAM devices.
25.
26. Buses
• A bus, in computing, is a set of physical connections (cables,
printed circuits, etc.) which can be shared by multiple
hardware components in order to communicate with one
another.
• Buses reduce the number of "pathways" needed for
communication between the components, by carrying out all
communications over a single data channel
27. Bus
• Depending on the type of the bus and computer the bus’s
operation can be unidirectional or bidirectional.
• Examples of buses:
– Data bus: It carries the data between the different components of the
computer.
– Address bus: It selects the route that has to be followed by the data
bus to transfer the data
– Expansion bus: It is used to connect the computer’s peripheral
devices such as printer, modem and scanner with the processor.
