A computer has two parts that work together — the parts you can touch and the programs that tell it what to do. This chapter explains software, and how a computer keeps your work tidy in files and folders.
🔵Hardware vs software
Every computer is made of two parts:
| Hardware | Software | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The parts you can touch | The programs (instructions) — you cannot touch them |
| Examples | Keyboard, mouse, monitor, CPU | Paint, a game, MS Word, Windows |
🤖 Vidi's Key Points
- Hardware is the parts of a computer you can touch (keyboard, mouse, monitor, CPU).
- Software is the programs — the instructions — that you cannot touch.
- Hardware and software work together; hardware does nothing useful without software.
⚡Quick Challenge: Which of these is HARDWARE?
🟢System software vs application software
Software comes in two main kinds:
| System software | Application software | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Runs and manages the whole computer | Helps you do one task you want |
| Example | The Operating System (Windows, Android) | Paint (draw), MS Word (type), a game (play) |
The most important system software is the Operating System (OS). It is like the manager of the computer — it starts everything up, shows the desktop, and lets all your apps run. Without the OS, the other programs could not work.
🤖 Vidi's Key Points
- System software runs and manages the whole computer; the Operating System (OS) is the main example.
- The OS is the 'manager' — it starts the computer and lets your apps run.
- Application software does one job you want — Paint to draw, Word to type, a game to play.
⚡Quick Challenge: Programs and instructions that you cannot touch are called…
🟣Files & folders
When you save your work, the computer keeps it as a file. A file might be a drawing, a story you typed, a photo or a song. Each file has a name so you can find it again.
To stay tidy, files are kept inside folders. A folder is like a school bag that holds your books — and a folder can even hold other folders inside it!
| Word | Means |
|---|---|
| File | One piece of saved work (a drawing, story, photo) |
| Folder | A box that holds files (and other folders) to keep them tidy |
| Icon | A small picture you click to open a program or file |
🤖 Vidi's Key Points
- A file is one piece of saved work (a drawing, story, photo or song) and has a name.
- A folder holds files — and other folders — to keep them tidy.
- An icon is a small picture you click to open a program or file.
⚡Quick Challenge: The main system software that manages the whole computer is the…
🛠️Practical: sort it out
Answer or do the following:
- Write two examples of hardware and two examples of software.
- Which software is the 'manager' of the computer?
- On a computer, make a folder called 'My Work' and a sub-folder 'Drawings' inside it.
- Save a drawing inside 'Drawings' and give it a clear name.
🎯 Mission Quiz
Answer a few questions to complete this mission and win the 🗂️ Software Explorer Badge!
Start the Mission Quiz →