Tài liệu Hardware and Software Overview

It’s the software that controls the hardware, which
should have been drilled into your skull by now if
you’ve read through Part I of this book. Yet, to understand
the buying process, you must first know about some computer
hardware. After all, if you buy software that says
“16MB on-board 3D graphics RAM required,” it helps to
know what that phrase means before deciding whether it’s
for you. It’s like being able to understand the destructive
effects of water before you buy a boat.
The chapters in this part of the book cover computer
hardware and software. This part has three purposes. The
first is to familiarize you with various hardware doodads,
especially those items you see in a computer ad. The
second is to let you know how to buy those items, in case
you want to upgrade your hardware and software in the
future. The third is to familiarize you with the software
and applications that the hardware supports. Read this
stuff lightly first and then get into the dirty details later,
when the urge strikes you.