Glossary
1
Glossary
A
AC (Alternating Current)
¾
The power from a standard household electrical outlet.
adapter
¾
An AC adapter converts AC current to DC current.
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
¾
A high-speed graphics port that provides a direct
connection between the display adapter and memory.
application
¾
A program such as a word processor, database or image editor.
B
BIOS (Basic Input Output System)
¾
An essential set of routines in a PC, which is stored on
a chip and provides an interface between the operating system and the hardware.
bit (binary digit)
¾ T
he smallest unit 0f information on a machine.
boot
¾
The loading of the operating system and other basic software which occurs when
you start-up the computer.
bus
¾
A collection of wires through which data is transmitted from one part of a computer
to another.
byte (binary term)
¾
A unit of storage capable of holding a single character. On almost all
modern computers, a byte is equal to 8 bits.
C
cache
¾
When you cache something you improve the speed of access to it by moving it
one stage closer to the CPU.
CardBus
¾
A 32-bit version of the PCMCIA PC Card standard.
CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory)
¾
A format used to store data such as text,
graphics or stereo sound. Also refers to the drive which can read this format.
configuration
¾
The makeup of a system.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
¾
The computing part of the computer. It controls the
interpretation and execution of instructions.
D
DC (Direct Current)
¾
Power which a computer requires for operation.
DIP switch
¾
A series of tiny switches built into circuit boards which enable you to
configure a circuit board for a particular type of computer or application.
DRAM
¾
The most common type of computer RAM.
