firmware

/fermweir/ , 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.

