The primary unit of technology is a computer system. Both hardware and software comprise a computer system. The hardware is the physical components that make up the computer and includes the chassis that houses the hard drive, memory, motherboard, and central processing unit, the keyboard and mouse, the monitor, an potentially attached printer and potentially speakers and a microphone. The keyboard and mouse are input devices that get information from the user to into the central processing unit, the central processing unit processes the information, the monitor and printer display output and the hard drive stores the information as it is created.
The software are applications, and services that the computer or the user can run that tell the computer what to do and how to operate. These programs are series of instructions that tell the central processing unit how to process data.
There are two types of software known as application and system software. Application software does a specific user-oriented task. Common types of application software include word processing, spreadsheet, database programs, graphics, and web browsers. These programs help a user to carry out a specific operation in order to reach a desired goal. A good example of an open source software program that is a full word processing suite would be Open Office and while very similar to it’s competitor, Microsoft Office, it is free to install and use.
System software usually refers to the operating system and its associated services. Operating systems are essential to managing the computer hardware as well as all the programs running on it. Operating systems make it possible to interpret input from the keyboard or mouse, send output to the monitor or the printer, keep track of files on the hard drive and control external devices known as peripherals (printers, speakers and other devices). Operating systems in use today include Windows 7, Mac OS X, Unix and Linux. There are many file sharing programs that assist in the management of large data files like FileZilla which allows the user to transfer large files across an FTP platform and Ares which is one of the largest file sharing network available on the internet.
Operating systems are designed for the platform on which they run. For example, IBM-compatible personal computers run Windows while Macintosh computers run only the Mac OS. Unix and Linux are more universal and can be run on a variety of platforms. This is often an important consideration when downloading software off the internet as not all software will run on all platforms. There are many programs that will work off multiple platforms like VLC, a multimedia program that downloads videos and music and Xvid, a free open source video player. It is important to know what your operating as system is when downloading software and one needs to make sure that the software being downloaded is compatible with the operating system of your computer.