In your last module, you learned all about hardware. You studied how motherboards, hard disks, power supplies and other components work together to create a basic computer. However, a computer is a lot more than a series of wires and circuits. In order for a computer to function, it needs to communicate with its user and be told what to do. In this module, you will learn all about operating systems and other types of software that make it possible for a user to communicate with a computer and give it commands that make it a fully functional machine. This module will prepare you for your final module, in which students are asked to use software to design a network security system.