Final answer:
Plug and Play (PnP) technology allows for the easy addition of new hardware to a computer system by automatically configuring devices without manual intervention.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plug and Play (PnP) enables you to easily add new hardware to a computer system. This technology, developed in the 1990s, automates the installation of hardware devices, allowing operating systems to recognize and configure new devices without the need for manual settings. When a PnP-compatible device is connected to a computer, the system automatically detects the hardware, loads the necessary drivers, and sets up the device to be ready to use. This greatly simplifies the process of adding new components, such as graphics cards, USB devices, or printers, among others.
Before the existence of Plug and Play, users often had to manually adjust settings such as jumpers and dip switches on the hardware, and configure software settings and drivers to make new hardware work. The introduction of PnP shifted this responsibility to the computer's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) and the operating system, most commonly Microsoft Windows, which includes PnP functionality.