Software and Hardware PDF

A computer is not a single device but a system of devices that all work together. The Major components of the computer include the CPU, Main memory, Secondary storage, input output devices and many more. The major component of a computer is the CPU which runs and executes programs. The performance o...

A computer is not a single device but a system of devices that all work together. The Major components of the computer include the CPU, Main memory, Secondary storage, input output devices and many more. The major component of a computer is the CPU which runs and executes programs. The performance of the CPU is judged by the speed also known as Clock Rate. Generally higher clock rate means faster CPU and it is measured in the form of gigahertz. Now onto the memory part, there are two parts: the main memory and Secondary storage. The main memory stores the program and all the data it is working with while the program is running it is known more commonly as RAM or random access memory. It is only for temporary storage and all programs and data will be deleted when the computer is turned off. It is considered a volatile type of memory. Now onto Secondary storage, it is considered a non-volatile type of memory and it holds the programs and data even when not in use. There are two types of Secondary storage: a solid state drive and the hard disk drive. Both of them have their own pros and cons and you should choose either one according to your preferences. ​ SSD is faster more reliable and consumes less energy but in return is costly. The HDD is cheaper and has more storage in general. But in exchange it is slower, less reliable and consumes more energy. Now we move onto software the major components of Software are operating systems (os) , Utility programs ,​ development tools, and applications. The are two parts to the OS the one you see and the one you don't see. The user sees the graphical user interface while the computer runs the command line interface. Utility programs perform specialized tasks that enhances the computer’s performance or safeguards data.such as virus scanners or file compressors. The development tools are what us the programmers use to create, modify and test software such as VScode. Finally the application software is what makes our life easier including apps such as microsoft word,powerpoint, excel ect. Now lets talk about programming language.To write a program for a computer we have to use a computer language. Which are Machine language, High-level language or Assembly language. The only language that is understood by hardware is Machine language which is binary. Assembly is a symbolic language that uses english-like abbreviations. And high-level languages are just programming languages like C,C++, python. ​