• Shikadi@wirebase.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    1 year ago

    I disagree. Firmware originally referred to things in ROM or EEPROM. Basically software that is firmly in place and doesn’t change, providing an abstraction layer between the hardware and software.

    • tabular@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      This treats the software as if it were a physical chip which can’t be practically changed due to the physics of microchips. The imutability of the storage medium is just a choice of the manufacturer. Sometimes this is a good cost saving feature and sometimes this so they can include anti-features such as preventing repairing your device (e.g. OneWheel).

      • Shikadi@wirebase.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        I’m just telling you where the word comes from. It’s like floppy disks, the 3.5mm ones weren’t floppy but that’s still what we called them because they once were. Firmware used to be something you couldn’t easily change. It sits between the hardware and the software. What exactly would you call it if you think the term is bad?

          • 9point6@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            Honestly, I think you’re wrong here, they were colloquially called floppy disks because at the time the whole thing was floppy. If the first floppy disks came in hard casings, they would never have been called floppy disks

            • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              Take apart a 3.25" floppy disk, you’ll find the magnetic platter (disc shaped thing) is floppy.

              Take apart a hard disk drive, you’ll find the magnetic platter(s) inside are metal.

              If a floppy disk wasn’t named after the thing inside the casing, why wasn’t it called a floppy square or floppy rectangle?

              • Shikadi@wirebase.org
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                It actually was originally a floppy diskette, but eventually shortened to disk because people are lazy

          • Shikadi@wirebase.org
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Nope it came from the housing, it was originally called a diskette. The disk itself isn’t really floppy tbh, more bendy. But the old diskettes were floppy af

        • tabular@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          Device functionality software, which is low-level? Probably won’t win any minds.

          Besides, if we (and others reading) know what concepts each other is referring to then it really doesn’t matter what word we use.

          • Shikadi@wirebase.org
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Firmware is easier to say, at a company I worked at we also called FPGAs gateware which was both interesting and convenient