Hardware and software

Hardware:

• The physical component of a computer system or pieces of equipment that is used to make up a computer system is known as computer hardware.
• Peripheral devices: Peripheral devices are that which surround a computer system.

Ex: mouse, keyboard,monitor, CPU.

Software: 

• Software is a set of instructions , programs or data  that tells a computer how to perform a specific task.or
• Software is a collection of instructions, data or programs stored in a computer that tell the hardware what to do and how to do it.
• Software directs the computer to perform the required Task.
• It’s the non-physical part of a computer system, unlike hardware. 
• Software can be broadly classified into two categories-
  • System software
  • Application Software

System software: System software sets of one or more programs that are basically designed to control the operation of a computer system.

System software control the following:

• System software supports the execution of other application software and also supports the developments of other application software.
• System software communicates with peripheral devices and controls the operation of peripheral devices such as printers, mouse etc.
• Monitoring the use of various hardware resources such as CPU.
• Examples:
  • Operating Systems (e.g., Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • Translator
  • Utilities (like antivirus, disk cleaners)

Application software: 

• It is a set of one or more programs designed to solve a specific problem or do a specific task. 
• Application Software is a set of programs, developed by programmers in order to perform specific tasks.
• Application software in term talks with the system software for the execution.
• Ex: Word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word, libre office writer), spreadsheet software(e.g. excel,calc), Graphic software, Web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox),Games, media players, etc.

Utility Software

• Utility software is a type of system software designed to help analyze, maintain, optimize a computer system. 
• utility software focuses on keeping the computer itself running smoothly.

Note– 

Bug: bug is a software error. Or

A bug is an error, flaw, or fault in a computer program.

Examples of Bugs: A calculator app Shows 2 + 2 =5,  A login form Accepts the wrong password, A website does not load images on mobile etc.

Debugging: Debugging is the process of finding and fixing bugs (errors or flaws) in a software program so that it works correctly. Or 

Making software bug free is called debugging.

Open source software or free software: 

Open source software is software whose source code is freely available for anyone to view, use, modify, and distribute. An open source software is free software.

Close source software or proprietary software:

Closed source software (also called proprietary software) is software whose source code  is not shared with the public, and the users are given only the compiled version , which they cannot legally modify, share, or distribute.