What is Computer Software

What most people think of as a computer can actually be divided into two parts. The first part, computercomputercomputer hardware, does all of the physical work computers are known for. The second part, computercomputercomputer softwaresoftwaresoftware, tells the hardware what to do and how to do it. If you were to think of a computercomputercomputer as a living being, then the hardware would be the body that does things like seeing with eyes, lifting objects, and filling the lungs with air; the softwaresoftwaresoftware would be the intelligence, interpreting the images that come through the eyes, telling the arms how to lift objects, and forcing the body to fill the lungs with air.

ComputerComputerComputer hardware, being part of a machine, can only understand two basic concepts: on and off. The on and off concept is called binary. ComputerComputerComputer softwaresoftwaresoftware was developed in order to make binary into a useful way to tell the computercomputercomputer hardware what to do. ComputerComputerComputer softwaresoftwaresoftware translates concepts and directions that people can understand into something that can actually be done on the computercomputercomputer hardware.