Filter
Top Products
99
Glossary
LAN
Local Area Network. An interconnection of computers
and peripherals within a single limited geographic
location which can pass programs and data amongst
themselves.
LCD
Liquid Crystal Display. A type of display which makes
images by controlling the orientation of crystals in a
crystalline liquid.
Lithium ion Battery
A type of rechargeable battery which has a high power-
time life for its size and is not subject to the memory
effect as Nickel Cadmium batteries.
LPT Port
Line Printer Port. A way of referring to parallel
interface ports because historically line printers were
the first and latter the most common device connected
to parallel ports.
MB
Megabyte.
Megahertz
1,000,000 cycles per second.
Memory
A repository for data and applications which is readily
accessible to your notebook CPU.
MHz
Megahertz.
MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A standard
communication protocol for exchange of information
between computers and sound producers such
as synthesizers.
Modem
A contraction for MOdulator-DEModulator. The
equipment which connects a computer or other data
terminal to a communication line.
Monaural
A system using one channel to process sound
from all sources.
MPU-401
A standard for MIDI interfaces and connectors.
NTSC
National TV Standards Commission. The standard for
TV broadcast and reception for the USA.
Operating System
A group of control programs that convert application
commands, including driver programs, into the exact
form required by a specific brand and model of micro-
processor in order to produce the desired results from
that particular equipment.
Parallel Port
A connection to another device through which data is
transferred as a block of bits simultaneously with a wire
for each bit in the block and with other wires only for
control of the device not for transfer of data.
Partition
A block of space on a hard drive which is set aside
and made to appear to the operating system as if it
were a separate disk, and addressed by the operating
system accordingly.
PCMCIA
PCMCIA is a trademark of the Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association. The Personal
Computer Memory Card International Association is an
organization that sets standards for add-in cards for
personal computers.
Peripheral Device
A piece of equipment which performs a specific
function associated with but not integral to a computer.
Examples: a printer, a modem, a CD-ROM.
Pitch (keyboard)
The distance between the centers of the letter keys
of a keyboard.
Pixel
The smallest element of a display, a dot of color on your
display screen. The more pixels per area the clearer your
image will appear.
POST
Power On Self Test. A program which is part of the BIOS
which checks the configuration and operating condition
of your hardware whenever power is applied to your
notebook. Status and error messages may be displayed
before the operating system is loaded. If the self test
detects failures that are so serious that operation can not
continue, the operating system will not be loaded.