Article on old software programs (for IBM, Apple, Borland, etc)

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Thu Aug 19 13:06:36 1999

OK, you can remove it by desoldering or whatever, but what about the
distinction between the unprogrammed part, e.g. FPGA when the power's off,
and when it's on and loaded? It's still hardware, isn't it? It's just
different hardware when the configuration code is in it and powered, or is
it?

Now, what about the pseudo hard-disks sold on PCMCIA cards as "flash-disk"
or whatever. Is the stuff stored there firmware or is it software?

I see a change in the generalized definition of "soft" vs. "hard" in this
context in a much more general sense. People talk about machine-readable
copy, e.g. data on floppy disk, as "soft" copy, and they talk about
purportedly fixed specifications or code segments, or definitions, as being
"hard" implying they're, at least relatively, "etched in concrete," as
opposed to being etched in "silly-putty" as some spec's are.

It's just an observation. I was just getting comfortable referring to
loadable programs/data, as one might store on rotating memory, as software,
nonvolatile programs and data (Yes, tables in a code body are data.) stored
in PALs, NVRAM, PROM, ROM, etc, as firmware. There's never been a question
about what the stuff you see, touch, hear when it's running, and may smell
when it's not, as hardware. Who knows, though. I couldn't believe it when
I learned that "duhh" was in the dictionary as a word. I heard yesterday
that the latest Webster has the Seinfeldism "yadda yadda yadda" as a word.
<sigh>

Dick


-----Original Message-----
From: Dwight Elvey <elvey_at_hal.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, August 19, 1999 10:21 AM
Subject: Re: Article on old software programs (for IBM, Apple, Borland, etc)


>Hi Dick
> You can still grab it and remove it ( a little harder ).
>It is still firmware. You put software into firmware.
>Like most definitions, that came about early on, there
>are gray areas. This entire 'what if' is silly.
>Software is what runs and may be in firmware. If we didn't have
>another name for a hard disk, it would have fallen
>under the firmware definition. The code that runs
>is still software. I had a calculator once that used a
>spool of steel tape to contain the program. It was still
>firmware but the information on it was software.
>Dwight
>
>"Richard Erlacher" <edick_at_idcomm.com> wrote:
>> You can't always unplug it. Nowadays, the PROMs are soldered in and you
>> reprogram them in situ.
>>
>> How does that effect your definitions?
>>
>> Dick
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dwight Elvey <elvey_at_hal.com>
>>
>>
>> >"Charles P. Hobbs" <transit_at_primenet.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > If you said that that computer had "hardware software" I would have
>> >> > to kill you ;-)
>> >>
>> >> Firmware?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >Definitely firmware. You can grab it and remove it. It is
>> >plugged in.
>> >Dwight
>> >
>
Received on Thu Aug 19 1999 - 13:06:36 BST