firmware

firmware
    n 1: (computer science) coded instructions that are stored
         permanently in read-only memory [syn: {firmware},
         {microcode}]
    

firmware
 /ferm'weir/, 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.
    

Firmware

   Software stored in read-only memory (ROM) or programmable ROM
   (PROM).  Easier to change than hardware but harder than
   software stored on disk.  Firmware is often responsible for
   the behaviour of a system when it is first switched on.  A
   typical example would be a "monitor" program in a
   microcomputer which loads the full operating system from disk
   or from a network and then passes control to it.