Gent
At 05:38 PM 4/20/99 -0400, Dick St.Peters wrote:
>> > Why call it firmware? It's basically a .VXD file that windoze uses.
>>
>> well, it's not hardware and it's a sub-set of software which is only to
>> drive hardware, thus 'firm'ware. I guess you could call it a driver. In
>> all, unless there is some consensus and the term that should be used, I
>> believe that describing it as firmware is best, as though off-loaded for
>> processing by the main CPU, it's the same functionality as if it were
>> loaded onto the modem itself.... ;)
>
>Calling it firmware is a mis-use of the term. [Soft,firm,hard]ware
>refer to the ease of change. Firmware is changed by reprogramming a
>PROM or programming a new ROM ... easier than rebuilding hardware but
>not as trivial as modifying software.
>
>Drivers are software. At the rate they change these days, one might
>even call them squishyware ...
>
>--
>Dick St.Peters, stpeters@NetHeaven.com
>Gatekeeper, NetHeaven, Saratoga Springs, NY, 1-800-910-6671 (voice)
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>-
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