Extension
A suffix of up to three characters that can be added to a
filename.
External command
An MS-DOS command that is stored in a program file. The
FORMAT command, for example, is stored in the file
FORMAT.COM. To perform an external command, MS-DOS
must be able to find the appropriate program file. External
commands are distinguished from internal commands (such as
DIR or ERASE), which are not stored in separate program files.
File
A group of related pieces of information (sometimes called
records, or entries) stored together on a disk. Text files consist of
words and sentences. Program files consist of code and are used
by computers to perform instructions.
Filename
A name of up to eight characters that MS-DOS uses to identify a
file.
Floppy disk
See Diskette.
Format
To prepare a new disk (or erase an old one) so that it can store
information. Formatting a disk divides it into tracks and sectors
and creates addressable locations on it.
Graphics
Lines, angles, curves, and other non-alphanumeric data.
Gray-scale mode
The mapping of colors to shades of gray on the LCD screen. In
mode 0, all colors are displayed as black or white. In modes 1 and
2, colors are mapped to preset shades of gray. Mode 3 is user-
definable; any color may be mapped to any shade of gray. Use
the setup program (Chapter 2) to define mode 3. Use keyboard
DIP switches 2 and 3 (Chapter 1) to select a gray-scale mode.
8 G l o s s a r y
