You've probably seen and touched enough hardware and software to know what they are, but you may be a little fuzzy about something called firmware. You can think of firmware as software on a chip. Unlike other things "hard-wired" into chips, though, firmware can be modified. And what can be modified can be hacked-which is what a developer named Andre Gratchev has done to the firmware in Canon digital cameras based on the Digic II chip.



Gratchev has written a program, CHDK, that adds some worthwhile features to several Canon models. Nathan Willis gives a good rundown on using CHDK at Linux Today. Here are some of the goodies that can be added to a Canon with the firmware hack.

• Shooting in RAW format.
• Live histogram.
• zebra mode (blinking highlights and shadows).
• Depth Of Field (DOF) calculator.
• Battery indicator.
• Scripts execution.
• File browser.
• Text reader.
• Calendar.

If adding these new features to your camera sounds attractive to you, before you proceed you should carefully consider this advice from author Willis:

"[U]nlike replacement firmware customization on Wi-Fi routers and some other hardware devices, this is all non-destructive and highly unlikely to damage your camera. Nevertheless, if you are under warranty or are prone to accidents, proceed at your own risk."