Glossary
B-3
Glossary
driver:
See
device driver.
DSP:
A processor used for high speed data manipulations of audio, video,
graphical, or image information.
E
emulator:
A debugging tool that is external to the target system and that pro-
vides direct control over the processor that is in the target system.
environment variable:
A special system symbol that the debugger uses for
finding directories or obtaining debugger options.
G
graphics output monitor cable:
The cable provided by a monitor manufac-
turer that connects a VGA source to the monitor.
ground strap:
A strip of conductive material attached at one end to earth
ground and at the other to a person or an object so that static electricity
can dissipate to ground and bypass electronic circuitry. Typically used by
people when they are handling discrete electronic components or as-
semblies that are sensitive to static electricity.
GUI:
Graphical user interface. A screen format that provides windows,
menus, dialog boxes, icons, lists, and options that allow you to start a pro-
gram or perform a task by pointing to a pictorial representation, selecting
an item using a mouse, or using a keyboard.
H
horizontal sync:
The portion of the composite video signal that tells the re-
ceiver where to place the image in the left-to-right dimension. The hori-
zontal sync pulse tells the receiving system where the beginning of the
new scan line is. See also
vertical sync.
I
IEEE 1149.1 standard:
“IEEE Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-
Scan Architecture”, first released in 1990. See also
JTAG.
interrupt:
A signal sent by hardware or software to a processor requesting
attention. An interrupt tells the processor to suspend its current opera-
tion, save the current task status, and perform a particular set of instruc-
tions. Interrupts communicate with the operating system and prioritize
tasks to be performed.