hardware

n 1: major items of military equipment (as tanks or missile)

2: artifacts (tools or implements) made of metal [syn: {ironware}]

3: the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical,

devices making up a computer system [syn: {computer

hardware}] [ant: {software}]

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)