What is firmware

[Lofin Peter]

I hear this everywhere, but I don't know any exact meaning of this. Can anyone explain this?

 

[hallux]

Firmware is a software layer. Sometimes it's the actual software you interface with, sometimes it's the layer that your OS interfaces with to access the hardware.

If you're familiar with older computer terminology - the BIOS is a form of firmware, and has actually been replaced by UEFI or Universal Extensible Firmware Interface. They serve the same function, UEFI is just now more advanced.