Hardware and Software

In thinking about Monsters, Inc., you are thinking about something conceptual. It is intangible. You can't grab it and throw it against a wall, or break it in half, or weight it on a scale. It does not have a physical existence.

You might record Monsters, Inc. on a VCR tape. The tape is physical, but the movie is conceptual. When you speak of the movie, you usually mean the conceptual movie, not a particular tape that has a record of it. Sometimes the phrase "intellectual material" is used for movies, TV programs, novels, music, and computer programs. Sometimes the word "software" is used for the same purpose, although usually "software" refers to computer programs and data.

The TV set you used to watch Monsters, Inc. is tangible. It has a physical existence. You can weigh it on a scale, you can throw it against a wall, you can break it in half, you can pound it to pieces with a hammer (and your grades will improve if you do).

TV sets are useful because they combine the tangible (the TV set itself) and the intangible (TV programs). Computer systems are useful in the same way--they combine tangible components called hardware and conceptual components called software.