Firmware

3 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  firmware
       n : (computer science) coded instructions that are stored
           permanently in read-only memory [syn: {microcode}]

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:



  firmware /ferm'weir/ n. Embedded software contained in EPROM or flash
     memory. It isn't quite hardware, but at least doesn't have to be loaded
     from a disk like regular software. Hacker usage differs from straight
     techspeak in that hackers don't normally apply it to stuff that you
     can't possibly get at, such as the program that runs a pocket
     calculator. Instead, it implies that the firmware could be changed, even
     if doing so would mean opening a box and plugging in a new chip. A
     computer's BIOS is the classic example, although nowadays there is
     firmware in disk controllers, modems, video cards and even CD-ROM
     drives.
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  Firmware
       
          Software stored in read-only memory (ROM) or programmable ROM
          (PROM).  Easier to change than hardware but harder than
          software stored on disk.  Firmware is often responsible for
          the behaviour of a system when it is first switched on.  A
          typical example would be a "monitor" program in a
          microcomputer which loads the full operating system from disk
          or from a network and then passes control to it.