Hardware reality: what a computer is

[sorcerer_see]

In fact, I would not call a computer a computer, I would rather call it a multi-purpose, on-the-fly-adjustable, machine. Where as a toaster can only do a few things that can not be changed after being released from production,  a computer can do countless things at any time and is adjustable at any time because we can interact with it and change its circuit setup at any time.

In essence a computer works mechanically: by changing switches the computer's behavior changes. Due to endless automatic combinations of circuit combinations we can use the hardware components in a myriad of ways, for a myriad of purposes.