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READ ONLY MEMORY
Known as ROM. A permanent part of
a computer's memory, which the user can neither add to nor delete
from.
More Detailed Definition:
Pronounced rahm, acronym for
read-only memory, computer memory on which data has been
prerecorded. Once data has been written onto a ROM chip, it cannot
be removed and can only be read.
Unlike main memory (RAM), ROM retains its contents even when the
computer is turned off. ROM is referred to as being nonvolatile,
whereas RAM is volatile.
Most personal computers contain a small amount of ROM that stores
critical programs such as the program that boots the computer. In
addition, ROMs are used extensively in calculators and peripheral
devices such as laser printers, whose fonts are often stored in
ROMs.
A variation of a ROM is a PROM (programmable read-only memory).
PROMs are manufactured as blank chips on which data can be written
with a special device called a PROM programmer.
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