13 lines
626 B
Plaintext
13 lines
626 B
Plaintext
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.
|
|
|