hardware

hardware The physical, touchable, material parts of a

computer or other system. The term is used to distinguish

these fixed parts of a system from the more changable

software or data components which it executes, stores, or

carries.

Computer hardware typically consists chiefly of electronic

devices (CPU, memory, display) with some

electromechanical parts (keyboard, printer, disk drives,

tape drives, loudspeakers) for input, output, and storage,

though completely non-electronic (mechanical,

electromechanical, hydraulic, biological) computers have also

been conceived of and built.

See also firmware, wetware.

(1997-01-23)