How Computers Work
Understanding the technology ecosystem of computers introduced in Chapter 1 requires differentiation of computer hardware, software, and messages. Hardware describes the physical components of a computer, such as the central processing unit, power controllers, memory, storage devices, input devices such as keyboards or touchscreens, and output devices such as printers and video monitors. Software is the term that describes the instructions regarding how hardware manipulates the information (data) (Spencer, 1992). The software, in turn manipulates the messages processed by the computer, from documents and spreadsheets to movies and music.