Coined by Ascher Opler in 1967, blending 'firm' + 'ware' for the category between software and hardware.
Permanent software programmed into a read-only memory chip that provides low-level control for a device's hardware.
Coined by Ascher Opler in a 1967 Datamation article. A blend of 'firm' + 'ware' (as in software and hardware), because firmware occupies a middle ground—more fixed than software but more modifiable than hardware. The 'firm' reflects that it's harder to change than software but not physically wired. Key roots