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Peripheral –
A generic term applied to printers, scanners, mice, keyboards,
serial ports, graphics cords, disk drives and other computer subsystems. This
type of peripheral often relies on its own control software, known as a
peripheral driver.
Plug and Play –
Term used to refer to the ability of a device that can be
connected and/or disconnected while the computer is running.
Port, hardware –
A connection component (FireWire port, for example) that
enables a microprocessor to communicate with a compatible peripheral.
Port, software –
A memory address that identifies the physical circuit used
to transfer information between a microprocessor and a peripheral.
RAM (Random Access Memory) –
Generally referred to as a computer’s
“memory.” An integrated circuit memory chip that allows information to be
stored and retrieved by a microprocessor or controller. The information can be
stored or accessed in any order, and all storage locations are equally
accessible.
Regional Protection Code (RPC) –
This playback management system
introduced with DVD-Video divides the world into six regions and sets a
regional identification for both players and discs. This allows playback of discs
only in their applicable region. Reproduction in more than one region may be
made possible, depending on a software company’s decision.
Seek Time –
The amount of time (in thousandths of a second, or
milliseconds) that it takes a hard drive’s read/write head to move to a specific
location n the disk. Average seek, then, is the average of a large number of
random samplings all over the disk. Seek time is CPU independent, meaning
that seek time is the same for a disk drive, whether it is attached to a
computer or not.
Session at Once (SAO)
– Authoring process which is similar to DAO, where
all of the information is written to in one session, but SAO allows for the
ability to begin another session and record at a later time. This mode allows
for greater control of the recording process than MiS, PW or TAO, and more
disc space can be utilized because there is no need for gaps between tracks.
Software –
In a nutshell, software is a set of instructions for the computer. A
set of instructions to perform a particular task is called a program. There are
two main types of software:
system software
(an operating system such as Mac
OS or Windows) which controls the operation of the computer and
application
software
(programs such as Word or Excel) which enable users to perform
tasks such as word processing, spreadsheet creation, graphics, etc.
