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Appendices
94
CMOS RAM
Complementary metal oxide semiconductor
random access memory. This is a technology for
manufacturing random access memory which
requires very low levels of power to operate.
COM Port
Abbreviation for communication port.
This is your serial interface connection.
Command
An instruction which you give your operating
system. Example: run a particular application
or format a floppy disk.
Configuration
The combination of hardware and software that
makes up your system and how it is allocated
for use.
CRT
Cathode Ray Tube. A display device which uses
a beam of electronic particles striking a lumi-
nescent screen. It produces a visual image by
varying the position and intensity of the beam.
Data
The information a system stores and processes.
DC
Direct current. A voltage or current that does
not fluctuate periodically with time.
Default Value
A preprogrammed value to be used if you fail to
set your own.
DIMM
Dual-in-line memory module.
Disk
A spinning platter of magnetic data storage
media. If the platter is very stiff it is a hard
drive, if it is highly flexible it is a floppy disk,
if it is a floppy disk in a hard housing with
a shutter it is commonly called a diskette.
Disk Drive
The hardware which spins the disk and has the
heads and control circuitry for reading and
writing the data on the disk.
Diskette
A floppy disk in a hard housing with a shutter.
DMA
Direct Memory Access. Special circuitry for
memory to memory transfers of data which do
not require CPU action.
DMI
Desktop Management Interface. A standard
that provides PC management applications
with a common method of locally or remotely
querying and configuring PC computer
systems, hardware and software components,
and peripherals.
DOS
Disk Operating System (MS-DOS is a Microsoft
Disk Operating System).
Driver
A computer program which converts applica-
tion and operating system commands to exter-
nal devices into the exact form required by
a specific brand and model of device in order
to produce the desired results from that
particular equipment.