well known design rules decisions between implementing a concept in software versus hardware typically hinge on considerations of stability of the design and numbers of units to be produced rather than any issues involved in translating from the software domain to the hardware domain generally a design that is still subject to frequent change may be preferred to be implemented in software because re spinning a hardware implementation is more expensive than re spinning a software design generally a design that is stable that will be produced in large volume may be preferred to be implemented in hardware for example in an application specific integrated circuit asic because for large production runs the hardware implementation may be less expensive than the software implementation often a design may be developed and tested in a software form and later transformed by well known design rules to an equivalent hardware implementation in an application specific integrated circuit that hardwires the instructions of the software in the same manner as a machine controlled by a new asic is a particular machine or apparatus likewise a computer that has been programmed and or loaded with executable instructions may be viewed as a particular machine or apparatus the secondary storage 384 is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or tape drives and is used for non volatile.