What was first, hardware or software?

1. 61

   RicardoEposted 14 years ago

   What was first, hardware or software?
   
   some questions asked in my computers and assemblers architecture class

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2. 69

   LeisureLifeposted 14 years ago

   This might be what your looking for: http://ce-gmbh.com/ComputerScience/what_comes_first.htm

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3. 81

   Wayne Brownposted 14 years ago

   When the term "computer science" became a college course of study in the mid 60's, the hardware was keypunch machines which made a lot of little rectangular holes in programing cards which could not be folded, spindled, or mutilated. These cards were the "software" which ran the program on the computer.  The card readers read the cards much like an old player piano reads sheet music scrolls only faster.  These contacts between two electronic sources which the cards allowed passing through a reader created the operating language to instruct the computer platform (hardware) in it activities...which by today's standards were very simple processes but still were considered quite automated for the times.  Things continued pretty much in this vein until people like Bill Gates and Steven Jobs came along and invented shifted all of this stuff to electronic circuitry.  The operations were the same but the cards were gone. Printed circuit boards and microchips became the new programming cards and the world marched forward.  The interesting part is that the desktop computer most people have in their homes is significantly more powerful and capable than any commecial computer available in those times....the world has come a long way in a short period of time electronically. WB

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