Field-programmability: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:16, 23 May 2007

Revision as of 20:55, 23 May 2007

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An [[electronic]] device or [[embedded system]] is said to be '''field-programmable''' or '''in-place programmable''' if its [[firmware]] (usually stored in [[non-volatile memory]], such as [[Read-only memory|ROM]]) can be modified "in the field," without disassembling the device or returning it to its manufacturer.

This is often an extremely desirable feature, as it can reduce the cost and turnaround time for replacement of [[computer bug|buggy]] or obsolete firmware. For example, [[as of 2007]], a [[digital camera]] vendor could distribute firmware supporting a new image [[file format]] by instructing consumers to [[download]] a new firmware [[ROM image|image]] to the camera via a [[USB]] cable.