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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jonathan Soukup [mailto:JSoukup -at- at-track -dot- com]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 11:46 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
>
<snip>
> She referring to firmware that must be loaded into the
> product. Usually this is done by the manufacturer, but it can
> be done by the installer or customer. So my question is this,
> is firmware always firmware, or is firmware considered
> software when it's on a floppy disk and shipped to the customer.
<snip>
Software is generally code that is loaded into the memory (RAM) of the
machine. However, once the machine is turned off, it is forgotten.
Firmware, on the other hand, is code that is burned or loaded into more
permanent memory (EEPROM, PROM, etc.) of the machine. It can stay in
that memory even after the machine is turned off. Even though the
firmware is delivered and shipped to the customer on a floppy, the
difference is how it is used in the system.
In some rare cases (like at my company), we have some aspects of our
firmware that do get loaded each time the machine boots. The reason that
it is called firmware comes from its close coupling to the hardware and
control of the hardware. Drivers for the hardware burned into EPROM can
be considered firmware; the firmware acts as an abstraction layer for
the software.
In short, I would keep firmware as firmware despite its delivery
mechanism.
Glenn Maxey
Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
1765 West 121st Avenue
Westminster, CO 80234-2301
Tel. +1 303.223.5164
Fax. +1 303.223.5275
glenn -dot- maxey -at- voyanttech -dot- com
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