Here's a simple explaination of ROM's and ROM editors and what they do:
- As you know, the engine contains many sensors all hooked up to the ECU (engine control unit). The ECU is basically a microcomputer.
- With electronic fuel injection, the ECU needs to tell the injectors when to fire, and for how long. It also needs to tell the coils when to fire the spark plug.
- The ECU does this by using a lookup table that says something like: at 500rpm, under ideal conditions, open injector for 10 milliseconds per cycle. At 3000rpm under ideal conditions, open injector for 50ms. etc, etc, etc
- This lookup table is pre-programmed into a memory chip called an EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), by Nissan.
- The ECU will adjust values in the lookup table depending on non-ideal conditions (for example detonation or engine too cold or air flow too low, etc.)
- The lookup table is thus important to the power delivery of the car. It can be changed for more fuel efficiency, or more power, or even both. Nissan obviously tuned it as best they can for Japanese conditions (including high octane fuel).
- The ROM editor allows you to read the contents of the memory chip, and then change the lookup table (and other things) to suit what you want. Thus, you can get more torque in the low rev range by adjusting the fuelling and ignition timing in the lower rpm, without affecting the top end, etc.
- Once you have edited the memory contents, you can then program that back into another memory chip, and replace the standard one with the new one.
- In addition to the fuelling maps (lookup table for injector), there is an ignition map (lookup table for spark plug firing) as well as a map of how the air flow meter works (so if you swop AFM, you must update this map in the ROM), and there are also rev limiters, speed limiters, etc.
- The cool thing is that you could put more than one map onto a chip, and then use a switch to switch between different maps. For example, you could make a map with a speed limit of 100km/h and rev limit of 5000rpm, and use that when you leave the car at a garage or lend the carf to a friend

This kind of setup requires the building of a daughter-board though, so it's not that easy.
Hope that sheds some light on the subject. As you can see, there's lots of potential here for free power! It must be noted tho, that ROM editing is not an art - it requires lots of technical understanding of the combustion process, as well as a dyno to test your changes to make sure you're getting what you want out of the tuning process. Most of the tuning shops do this by trial-and-error.