199
Glossary
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.3.2
modem
— Short for “modulator/demodulator.” A device that
converts information from digital to analog and back to digital,
enabling information to pass back and forth between digital
computers and analog telephone lines.
motherboard
— The main circuit board in the computer. It
contains the processor, memory, and other primary components.
MS-DOS prompt
— See
system prompt.
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 hard disk,
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
®
XP Professional and Windows
®
2000 operating
systems.
P
palette
— See
color palette.
