What is Firmware?

Firmware:

In electronic system and computing , firmware is a specific class of computer software that provides the low-level control for the device's specific hardware. Firmware can either provide a standard operating environment for the device's more complex software (allowing more hardware-independence ), or, for less complex devices, act as the device's complete operating system , performing all control, monitoring and data manipulation functions. Typical examples of devices containing firmware are embedded system, consumer appliances, computers.

Firmware is held in non-volatile memory devices such as ROM, EPROM, or flash memory. Changing the firmware of a device may rarely or never be done during its lifetime; some firmware memory devices are permanently installed and cannot be changed after manufacture. Common reasons for updating firmware include fixing bugs or adding features to the device.