Re: New summary: Binary peripheral software

[Nathanael Nerode <neroden@twcny.rr.com>]

Joe Buck wrote:

> Before we can answer the question as to what is firmware, we need
> to distinguish between several possible types of firmware.  In
> general, firmware is data to be loaded into some programmable
> device.
Well, not really...

Firmware is programs encoded "firmly" into hardware, and so not normally
modifiable by endusers.  But usually variant hardware is used by the
hardware developers, in which the firmware is modifiable software.

Well, I guess we don't want to discuss that sort of firmware, because
they're never distributed by Debian.

Now, what you're talking about, so-called "downloadable firmware", might be
described in the way you just did: "data to be loaded into some
programmable device".  Unfortunately, that's a definition of "software"! 
("Computer" is essentially synonymous with "programmable device".)

I have to agree with the rest of what you said.  :-)

-- 
There are none so blind as those who will not see.