Name :   David Mertz, et al. Organization :   N/A Post Date :   9/27/2005 Glossary Comments Glossary Term :   Firmware Definition :   Comment :   Software that provides basic system operations, often (but not exclusively) related to the operation or control of hardware devices. Firmware might, but need not be, contained in a read-only memory (ROM) device, and it might be alterable during ordinary system operations. Explanation: The previous definition was too narrow and emphasized something that is often incorrect. Firmware is often loaded or loadable from mass-storage devices, such as BIOS updates for PCs. Firmware need not be contained in ROM, and might, depending upon the system's design, be alterable at runtime.