do you think software or hardware is the most important part of a computer system?

Answer 1

2 up and coming technologies are Web 2.0 and Thin Clients.

Web 2.0 is allowying for people to run software off of the internet. You can actually try out Microsoft Word and Excel at Microsoft's Office Website. Google also has similar online apps in the making for free. Using this technology, having software installed is becoming much less critical for purposes of productivity.

In thin-clients, users have a miniminal amount of hardware and almost no software. They connect over a network to a server that transfers information back and forth and does all processing on the server. The need for software is only slightly less critical than having software.

In the traditional sense, I'd say that hardware is more important, because with the right hardware, you can run any piece of software. That is to say that software is dependent upon hardware. You may choose to argue that hardware is also dependent upon software, but it isn't to the same extent. Actually, if you were to give me a complete system without anything installed whatsoever, I could give you a functional system by booting from a Knoppix CD.

In all 3 scenarios, hardware wins.

Answer 2

Hi there

Neither is more important because you would need both for a computer to run. Software will not work if there is no hardware to run that software and if there were no software then there would be no point in the hardware.

For example, your modem will be operated by a device driver. If that device driver stopped working, your modem would;t operate hence you wouldn't be able to access the Internet. So really, they're both as important as each other.

Scott

Answer 3

The best computer in the world won't do a lick of good without the necessary software.

The best software in the world won't get a single thing solved or accomplished without some hardware to run it.

So, it is a tie situation - gotta have both.

Under ideal circumstances you will get really good software and a really good computer system...Then
you can fly.

Of course, us gremlins and wannabies who have to survive with plain old windows and misc. store bought software that runs pretty good. But, and it is a big but, there are tricks out there that will make your system tremble with power and pizzazz if you have the bucks to pay for it. And hardware...Wow. there are CPU's now that fly all by themselves, video accelerators and enhanced graphics cards that do all manner of just simply dazzling things. RAM memory is available by the bucket fulls now days...so it is up to you to make the right choices.

Answer 4

The better the hardware the more software you can run

Answer 5

Both! One without the other is useless!