Firmware and how it differs from Hardware and Software
by Sam Mishra, President, FranTerActive
Firmware can be thought of static software (as opposed to dynamic software which changes on the fly) which executes
repeatedly so that the underlying hardware (which can be anything, from a personal computer to a car remote control) performs
its intended task repeatedly and consistently.
The best example of a firmware is the system BIOS which is the firmware between
a PC hardware and the PC's Operating System (OS). When you switch your PC or your laptop on, what initial runs is the system BIOS (Basic
Input Output System) which enables the OS, typically Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS X, to run. It is the OS that you interact
with, and the BIOS firmware sitting in between the computer hardware and the OS makes it possible for you to work
on your computer / laptop. In this example, the computer laptop is the hardware, the BIOS is the firmware, and the operating system or OS is the
software. Other programs like Excel spreadsheets, Internet browsers etc. which run on top of the OS are software as well.
Firmware like BIOS resides on chips known as ROM or Read Only Memory Chips.
