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Glossary
multi-function drive
—A DVD drive that can read and write to
CD and DVD media.
multimedia
—A combination of two or more media, such as
sound, animation, and video in a computer program or
presentation.
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
—See
MIDI
.
N
network
—A collection of computers and associated devices
that are connected by communications facilities. A network
allows you to share data and peripheral devices, such as
printers, with other users and to exchange electronic mail.
non-interlaced
—A method of refreshing a computer screen,
in which each pixel of every line is refreshed as the electron
beam scans across and down the screen. Compare
interlaced
.
non-system disk
—A disk for storing programs and data that
cannot be used to start the computer. Compare
system disk.
O
online
—Available through the computer. Online may refer to
information being read from your own computer’s internal
storage drive, such as online documentation or online Help,
or to information coming from another company on a
company network or the Internet.
operating system
—A set of programs that controls how the
computer works. Examples of operating systems are the
Windows Vista
®
, Windows
®
7, and Windows 8 operating
systems.
optical disc drive
—A drive which reads plastic coated discs
on which information is recorded digitally, and uses a laser
to read data, music, or videos.
P
palette
—See
color palette
.
password
—A unique string of characters entered by a user to
verify his or her identity to the computer or the network.
PC Card
—A credit-card-sized expansion card designed to
increase the capabilities of computers. PC Cards provide
functions such as modem, fax/modem, hard disk drive,
network adapter, sound card, or SCSI adapter.
