300-31
326
Glossary of terms. (cont'd)
- FIRMWARE
- This term is applied to computer programs that are stored in a type of memory (a ROM) that can in general only be read, not erased or changed easily. Firmware is used both for protection and for higher speed.
- FLOPPY DISK
- A thin plastic disk, usually 5-1/4 inches or 8 inches in diameter, enclosed in a square, protective envelope, with a magnetic surface for storing information: a diskette.
- FORTRAN
- The Formula Translation programming language, originally developed in the late 1950's for engineering and scientific programming. It is still the most widely used language for these types of programs.
- HARDWARE
- The term applied to the computer equipment—the processor unit, the storage devices, input devices, printers, etc. Hardware is differentiated from "software" and "firmware."
- INTERPRETER
- A computer program in the same general class as "assembler" and "compiler." All three
[1984]
