Hardwired

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  hard-wired \hard"-wired"\, hard wired \hard"
  wired"\(h[aum]rd"w[imac]rd"), a.
     1. (Computers) Contained within the circuitry of a computer
        or computer peripheral device, and not changeable by
        programming; -- of functions; as, error correction is
        hard-wired into the circuit of the disk drive, so it


        proceeds very rapidly.
        [PJC]
  
     2. Connected by a continuous electrical wire, rather than
        through a switch; as, the air-conditioner was hard-wired
        into the wall circuit, so moving it would require an
        electrician.
        [PJC]
  
     3. (Metaph.) Performed by an inborn pattern of neural
        circuits; instinctive; not learned; as, many bird songs
        are hard-wired, but some are learned.
        [PJC]
  
              People, as the cybernetic metaphor now has it, are
              "hard wired" to do good in order to enhance their
              own happiness. --Andrew Delbanco (New York Times
        Magazine, May 7, 2000; p. 46).
        [PJC]

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

  hardwired adj. 1. In software, syn. for {hardcoded}. 2. By extension,
     anything that is not modifiable, especially in the sense of customizable
     to one's particular needs or tastes.
  
  

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

  hard-wired
       
          1.  An aspect of an electronic circuit which is
          determined by the wiring of the hardware, as opposed to being
          programmable in software or controlled by a switch.
       
          2.  In software, a synonym for {hard-coded}.
       
          3. By extension, anything that is not modifiable, especially
          in the sense of customisable to one's particular needs or
          tastes.
       
          [{Jargon File}]
       
          (1999-10-18)