Toshiba Satellite M500D, User Manual

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Glossary
175
A
adapter: A device that provides a compatible connection between two
units. For example, the computer’s built-in display adapter takes
information from the computer and translates it into images on the
screen. An adapter can take a number of forms, from a
microprocessor to a simple connector. An intelligent adapter (one
that is capable of doing some processing) may also be called a
controller.
address: (1) A number that identifies the location of information, such as
the name of a file or a value for processing, in a computer system or
network. A device may use a specific memory address to transfer
information to and from the computer. See also hexadecimal. (2) A
series of characters that identifies the location of a user’s electronic
mailbox.
Advanced Power Management (APM): An industry standard for
monitoring and conserving power consumption, particularly on
battery-operated portable computers.
Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI). A standard governing
how devices on multiple SCSI channels interact with each other and
with the rest of the system.
allocate: To assign space or resources for a specific task. This is often
used to refer to memory or disk space.
alphanumeric: Consisting of numbers, symbols, and letters you can type
or print.
alternating current (AC): Electric current that reverses its direction at
regular intervals. This type of power is usually supplied to
residential and commercial wall outlets.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) character set: The set of
characters available in Microsoft Windows (or other operating
systems). The character set includes letters, numbers, symbols, and
foreign language characters.
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII): A set of
binary codes that represent the most commonly used letters,
numbers and symbols. The standard ASCII set consists of 128
codes (for 7-bit characters). Most PCs use an extended set of 256
codes (for 8-bit characters). See also binary.
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