View Single Post
Old 16th July 2008, 06:30 AM   #4 (permalink)
Roland Perry
Guest
 
Roland Perry's Avatar
 
Posts: n/a
Classified Rating: % ()
Default My OysterCard Whinge

In message
<add89374-6720-4952-9fc7-443dda7c7849@p25g2000hsf..com>, at
01:31:16 on Wed, 16 Jul 2008, thagor2008@ remarked:
>where does software end and hardware start?


There are grey areas, as well as black and white.

>For example x86 processors can do trig as well as multiply and divide
>etc. But intel use microcode to carry out the operations internally.
>Does microcode count as hardware or software?


Microcode is Software, but it probably also counts as Firmware (which is
simply that subset of built-in software performing certain low-level
functions). The engine that the microcode is driving is Hardware.
--
Roland Perry
  Reply With Quote