Not all hardware and software are compatible. In fact, hundreds of producers of computer equipment and computer programs are in the market, and there are few across-the-board standards. So it's important to get hardware and software that are compatible.
Software, or the computer programs themselves, are not like records that can be played on any record player. They have to be compatible with the hardware in terms of the programing language used, operating system, size, format, and other factors.
Try to find a store in your area where you will get the expertise you need to obtain the right combination of software and hardware to meet your needs.
When you buy a computer, find out whether it comes with a standard operating language that will allow you to use a wide variety of programs written in different languages on your computer. Even then, you may find that a disk that supposedly works with that operating language will not work on your machine.
Checklist for Evaluating Hardware
Here are some factors to consider when evaluating and comparing hardware:
Software. The first questions to ask are, "What software do you plan to use?" and "Which computer will run that program?"
Does the computer come with a standard operating system so that it will be compatible with a range of software programs?