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"Firmware" is usually a combination of hardware and software.
If one of our products "must contain firmware operating software release
1.01.00," I would assume that the spec is referring to the FPGA (on the
circuit board) and the control software burned into it. FPGAs and EEPROMs
are programmable chips that can be updated electronically, although this
reprogramming can involve some security codes and using higher-than-normal
voltages. Flash memory--such as you'd find in a digital camera or MP3
player--works on the same general idea, although it's more likely to be used
for transient data while FPGAs and EEPROMs are designed to carry code.
Obviously two versions need to be considered in defining the firmware: The
version of the chip and the version of the software. Practically speaking,
the software version is the one that is far more likely to change, which is
the raison d'etre of firmware.
Basically, you would use firmware when you want to create a computerized
product that can be customized or updated on demand. It's more expensive
per unit than mask ROM (which you would find in, say, a Nintendo game
cartridge), but firmware is far more customizable without requiring you to
purchase and store an inventory of thousands of identical, unchangeable ROM
chips.
The usage of the term "firmware" is fast and loose, but if you ship an
engineer a firmware update on a diskette, the meaning will get across quite
clearly.
Cheers ... Kim mailto:kim -dot- roper -at- vitana -dot- com
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