Question

I’ve heard that the term firmware comes from it being between hardware and software. I have also heard that it refers to software that comes from the firm (company) that builds the hardware.

When was the term first used and what is the origin of the term?

Answer 1

From Wikipedia:

The term “firmware” was coined by
Ascher Opler in a 1967 Datamation
article. Originally, it meant the
microcode – contents of a writable
control store (a specialized small
area of RAM memory), which defined and
implemented the computer’s instruction
set….Firmware has evolved to mean
almost any programmable content of a
hardware device, not only machine code
for a processor, but also
configurations and data for
application-specific integrated
circuits (ASICs), programmable logic
devices, etc.