TTL computing

From: Davison, Lee <Lee.Davison_at_merlincommunications.com>
Date: Sat Apr 13 18:32:30 2002

> Are you saying that a program in a mask programmed ROM is
> not firmware? Because everybody else that I know would call it
> that.
>
        There are many who would disagree with them, Tony. One
        characteristic common to all definitions I've run into in firmware
        is that it's FIELD-Programmable. Another is that it's non-volatile,
        i.e. persists between power cycles.

Richard, you seem to be forgetting all those adverts from the 70s
and 80s that boasted "Firmware in ROM!". Also a quick look at a
dictionary reveals ... 8^)=

---------------------------------------------
firm?ware Pronunciation Key (f?rm w?r ) n.
  Computer programming instructions that are stored in a
 read-only memory unit rather than being implemented through
 software.

Source: The American Heritage? Dictionary of the English
 Language, Fourth Edition
 Copyright ? 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
---------------------------------------------
firmware

n : (computer science) coded instructions that are stored
 permanently in read-only memory.
Source: WordNet ? 1.6, ? 1997 Princeton
 University
---------------------------------------------
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.

Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing,
 ? 1993-2001 Denis Howe
---------------------------------------------

Lee.



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Received on Sat Apr 13 2002 - 18:32:30 BST

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