Despite their seemingly abstract names, these two terms become surprisingly straightforward once you know what they refer to.
Internal hardware handles a spectrum of important computational tasks, stores data, and renders graphics.
Examples of internal hardware are theCPU,RAM, storage drives, and themotherboard.
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External hardware allows you to interact with your box.
Both internal and external hardware fulfill important roles in making your setup work the way it does.
Software comes in a few different levels, and each piece of software supports the one that follows it.
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The first one isfirmware, which is a jot down of software embedded into hardware.
It provides the most basic instructions that allow your hardware to function.
The second level isdrivers, which allow your operating system to communicate with your hardware.
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The most popular operating systems on computers are Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Android and iOS on mobile devices are also types of operating systems.
The fourth level of software is the actual programs that you run on your system.
These are your apps, web browsers, video games, and productivity tools.
Evenemulatorsare technically a piece of software that emulates legacy hardware.
Software would be a recipe, a set of instructions detailing how to bake a chocolate cake.
Without the recipe, the chef would simply be left loitering without clear directions.
The same applies to hardware and softwarethey heavily rely on each other to do their part.