Why can't computer programs be firmware like game cartridges?

Question

If the program had to write to itself it could do so in a temporary cache file on the HD. Any updates could be flashed into the firmware. I just defragged and went from a half full disk to a third full, because the current system is quite inefficient.

Answer 1

It can be. The software vendors would love it as copying would be almost impossible. Of course, fixing bugs by downloading patches would be impossible. And how many cartidge slots would there be? - I currently have five different programs loaded and switch between them. Am I supposed to pull a cartridge each time I want to check e-mail or do word processing.
Defragging came about because a previous system was so clumbsy - circa 1977 on the IBM5110, you had to say in advance how big the file was going to be. If you filled it up, you had to allocate a new bigger file space and copy everything, then deallocate the previous space. Under the current system, a table keeps track of which sectors are allocated to which files which may be scattered across the disk. But jumping from track to track is slower. Defragging brings the sectors close together for faster access.
But putting programs in cartridges would do nothing for you because if you gained space it was because trash, cache and temporary files were deleted before defragging started and all of those would be there under a cart system. In fact, fragmented files are almost always data files, not program files, since data files get broken up as they are filled over time.

Answer 2

Consider how much interaction a game cartridge has with the user versus a computer program. Once you start saving individual preferences, game progressions, etc., you require some type of storage medium. Game systems could use hard drives, but some solid-state memory will do given the size constraints.

As for the limitations with defrag, these are tied more to the limitations of the file system, whether it be FAT32 or NTFS. They require that files be written together, to put it simply. Well, if you line up files in order on your disk as 123 and then all of a sudden file 2 doubles in size, it can no longer fit in its original location. Now it has to be re-written elsewhere on the drive and the spot it originally had is now free to be used by another file. Do this several million times and you end up with a drive that needs to be defragmented.

Answer 3

most likely cost of production of a cartridge... compared to the pennies (if that) that cost to produce a CD

You can install something to your HD from a CD and bam, the CD might not even be needed anymore unless you need to reinstall. It might be practical for computer gaming... but it wouldn't be very efficient to keep switching cartridges everytime you wanted to run a program. (AIM, Word, Excel, Internet Browser, Anti-virus, Media Player, etc.)

Answer 4

Install the game to a flash drive of sufficient capacity and play from their.
Yea I know this doesn’t answer your question properly, but economics wise it does.
For example a full FEAR game is 7 gig