For those of you who are not familiar with the definition, hardware refers to the physical and tangible parts of a computer. Examples include computer casing, keyboard, mouse, and disk drives. Software is a special program code that resides on the computer’s primary storage device (hard drive) used to provide the computer with instructions on how to work. The software does not come in physical form but may be stored or distributed in a variety of digital formats like CD-ROM’s, floppy disks, and USB flash drives. That’s the primary difference between hardware vs software.
Hardware is the computer that you use to do your daily work on
The computer that you use is considered hardware. The same is true with the keyboard and the components of your laptop or desktop computer. You could think of hardware as something that you can touch. Hardware is a physical item, and it’s something that you typically have to go to a store to buy. Almost everything you see in the computer aisle at your favorite electronics store is hardware. If you can touch the product, it’s more than likely hardware. The only exception is software sold on DVDs or thumb drives. The thumb drive itself is considered hardware, but the program that it holds is thought of as software.
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Software is the programs or apps that you run on your computer
Software is a set of instructions stored in a digital format. Software is something that’s intangible; you cannot see it, touch it or hear it. Hardware and software are often confused because the two complement each other in most situations. They both work together to make your computer work. Hardware can be compared to the physical body of a human. It’s what keeps us alive and allows us to function. Software, on the other hand, is comparable to the mind. It tells our bodies what to do and how to do it.
You must have software to run hardware
To use a computer, you need both hardware and software. Without the software, the computer would not be able to do anything at all.
Hardware is typically easier to fix. Hardware can be repaired more easily because it’s something that you can touch and see. Software is trickier to fix. Software is difficult to diagnose and repair because it is intangible. That’s why more often than not; software issues require a repairperson to work on the computer while almost anyone who is handy with a screwdriver can replace an old hard drive.
Software is easier to update
Most of the time, the software can be updated and upgraded over the internet or on your computer’s operating system. With hardware, you would have to find a store that sells the part to fix it. Hardware can be replaced or upgraded by simply buying a new piece of computer equipment.
You can’t download RAM or download a new GPU to make your computer run more smoothly while playing video games. When it comes to software, you just have to purchase a new version of the program you want. The upgrade is seamless and should only take a few minutes at the most. A hardware upgrade requires you to break out tools and work on the innards of your computer.
