In the most basic of terms, a device driver is a type of computer program that allows more advanced functioning computer programs or devices to interact with another device. In other words, and by way of an example, a device driver provides a laptop computer with the capability of communicating and interacting with a printer.

Of course, a device driver does not exist to permit a computer the ability to communicate with a printer alone. Such a driver allows any type of computer program and device to communicate with another device peripheral unit.

In looking at device drivers from a more technical standpoint, the driver itself communicates with a particular device through what is known in technical terms as the “computer bus.” The computer bus is the communications subsystem with which the hardware itself is directly connected.

At the juncture when a so-called “calling program” (the program that is issuing the command) initiates a routine in the driver, it transmits the command to the targeted device. When the device sends the data back via the driver, the driver in turn then invokes appropriate routines in the initiating program.

Device drivers are thoroughly hardware dependent and perform specific in regard to a particular operating system. The fact is that the functionality of a device driver allows for the simplification of computer programming. The driver itself serves as a translator connecting the specific device and the various applications or even operating systems that utilize the device in question.

In the end, thanks to device drivers, more complex code can be created and written completely independent of any type of hardware device that may be called upon to control that code. What this does mean is that because of this concept and technology, the driver will accept generic statements or directives and then can convert them into appropriate commands that are required by a specific device.