Chapter 1 - Terms of Endearment
Hardware
In this section, we'll be looking at the some of the components found inside a 'processor box', commonly referred to as 'hardware'.
- Motherboard
This is the main board which connects everything together. The name derives from the meaning that smaller boards (daughter boards or cards) are plugged into slots provided on the motherboard.
- Microprocessor
Also known as the 'CPU' (central processing unit) it comes in the form of a chip, computing everything from making the mouse pointer appear to move around the screen to accessing files stored on a hard disk. In fact, the term 'micro' is no longer accurate these days as advancements in silicon technology has seen these microprocessors out do supercomputers of the 80's by far. Today they are fast, efficient and very sophisticated indeed and are no longer 'micro', hence we simply call them processors.
- Memory
The memory of a computer is where a program and its data are located while the program is running. For example, upon loading your operating system, every single movement you make or program you open and activities you execute is stored in the computer's memory.
Often called 'RAM' (random access memory), its' contents can be electronically read and written. It is measured in units of 'bytes' and are in existence of millions if not billions dedicated for today's personal computers. A Greek prefix is used to dictate these quantities we know as 'mega or 'giga'-bytes.
- Hard Disk
The 'hard disk' is a high-capacity, persistent storage peripheral device which is also known as a hard drive. Technically speaking, it isn't really part of a computer although it is very fundamental to a personal computer system, so it should be regarded as a necessity.
It stores programs or data which aren't being immediately used by a computer or even when there is no power! Disks are made from an iron compound that can be magnetized and remain so even when the power is off therefore, information is still there when the power comes back on. This is why a disk is said to be permanent or persistent storage.
Software
'Software' is a term that didn't exist until the introduction of computers, a collective term for computer programs. A word processing program is an example of a software. When a computer function is implemented in software, the computer performs the operations by following instructions. If and when a computer function is implemented in hardware, the computer performs the operations directly with wires and transistors, a term known as 'hard-wired'. Multiplication is an example of this.
In fact, the difference between 'hard' and 'soft' is like the difference between an innate ability such as coughing, and a learned ability, such as reading. Innate abilities are built in biologically, and are impossible to change through command, like hardware - you can't stop yourself from coughing if needs be. Learned abilities can be easily changed and expanded, like software - you can read and discover new words at your own will.
Usually, only the most primitive operations like arithmetics are implemented in hardware; everything else is software. Computers don't learn to perform soft operations like the way we learn to read, instead they are simply given instructions and told to follow them.