Salute!
You have nailed the answer,
Micro. 25 words or less.
fbw is a flight control system where there is no mechanical linkage between the control wheel or stick or whatever and the surfaces, but electrical signals.
Confusion exists about FBW systems due to their implementation and not the basic concept described above. A "pure" FBW design would simply use electrical signals to the servos controlling the hydraulics that move the control surfaces. To duplicate the pure mechanical systems that used cables, pushrods, etc., the wheel or stick would move exactly the same amount and have the same forces the pilot feels, but the output would be an electrical signal. This type of system reduces a lotta weight and can also provide redundant paths of the electrons to the control surface actuators.
Confusion exists because along the way, the engineers and operators realized that we could "tailor" the control surface deflections to provide "protections", "dampening" , and even allow aerodynamic "relaxed static stability" planes to be flown by humans. The Airbus "direct law" comes very close to the definition expressed by
Micro. But normally, computers "tailor" the signals from the pilot or autopilot to provide safety, performance, etc. So we have gee limits, gee onset rates, angle of attack (AOA) limits, etc.all determined by our particular plane's "control laws" to enhance safety or maximize performance.
See the immense AF447 discussion threads for many posts about "implementation" of FBW.
Hard for me to realize now, that I flew the first "pure" FBW jet 34 years ago, and the jet had been flying using a pure FBW system for 5 - 6 years before that. Only other system like it was the shuttle orbiter.
Viper pilot '79 sends....