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Computer systems have brought a revolution in the field of technology when the first Automatic Digital Computer was developed by Charles Babbage during the mid-1830s. A computer system comprises of its hardware and software and both are necessary to run it. Hardware and software are itself a distinction in between them. Hardware are mechanical and electrical devices that work physically or chemically to process out some task whereas software are run by a set of codes, they determine the rules of processing out some task like how the task should be done, when to be done and where to be done.
Difference Between Hardware and Software
There are many classification bases on which hardware and software can be distinguished. Some of them are as:
By Definition
Hardware is defined as the surrounding component of a computer system. It can also be defined as the machines, wirings or any physical devices of any electronic system or any computer system. For example, Mouse, Keyboard, Motherboard, CPU, Monitor, Web Camera, Fingerprint Scanner, Mobile Phones, etc.
And Software is the program or interface that uses the hardware and runs inside any machine or computer system. For example, Windows Systems such as Windows 7, 8, 10 or 11, Microsoft office software, Video Games, Music playing software such as Spotify or Apple music, etc.
In simple terms, we see the distinction is that Hardware is anything that can be touched in the computer and its systems and other machines. And software is anything that can not be touched in the same.
By Use
Hardware is used to process the data. It can be used to store any information, convert the signals from analogue to digital or vice versa, it can be used to type anything on the system, it can be used to show us the video or graphics of any content, and many other uses.
Whereas, the software is used to decide and instruct the computer about what to do and how to do it and when to do it.
For example, if we consider an example of playing a video game. When we start the video game its data is getting transferred initially from the hard drive or SSD to the cache memory or the RAM, where the hard drive and ram is the hardware. And the set of instructions that decide from where to take the data and how much data to where is the software here. Furthermore, when we see the graphics on the screen the GPU on the backside processes every signal which is hardware, and the menus or actions we do is the software part of it.
By Replacement
If any of the hardware malfunctions or does not work, it is usually taken out of the system and either repaired or replaced physically. Whereas software and newer version are downloaded from the manufacturer portal or a backup copy is replaced with the corrupted version of it. Usually, both hardware and software are developed in versions. But once any hardware or software gets corrupt, a software’s earlier version can be preferred to replace it. But this does not happen in the place of hardware.
By Manufacturing or Designing Process
Hardware is manufactured with the help of robots or human workers. It is done with the basic manufacturing process similar to any machine. And when Software is manufactured it is manufactured with the help of blocks of codes and processors. Without the use of hardware, the software cannot be manufactured or designed.
Conclusion
There are numerous parallels and contrasts between hardware and software. If we see the difference, hardware is anything that can be touched as it is a physical electronic device and software cannot be. Hardware is used to process the data and software defines the set of instructions for processing the data. Hardware cannot be affected by viruses while software can be. Some examples of hardware are Joysticks, fingerprint sensors, mouse, keyboard, wires and cables, etc. And that of software are Windows OS, Mac OS, MS Office, Hardware Drivers, Google Chrome, etc. Although there are many differences between software and hardware, they cannot work without each other.
