Firmware and its importance in electronic devices

Firmware is a fixed set of programs or program according to which an electronic device functions internally. Many devices like remote control, hard drives, memory cards contain firmware for their operation at a basic level. There is no strict difference between a software and a firmware. The only point of difference between a software and firmware is that the firmware cannot be changed without modifying the hardware component. Firmware is a software which is strictly dependent on the hardware. Today, the term firmware is also being used to represent certain application level programs. Devices like video cards, storage modules are highly dependent on firmware which is loaded dynamically along with the device drivers during system boot. Many external computer peripherals like printers and scanners are highly dependent on firmware for their operation. The device may not function properly until the host computer device provides it with the required firmware. Other devices like mp3 players have firmware which have a application level functionality.