Filter
Top Products
2 Glossary
bits per second
(bps) A unit of transmission. Also called baud rate.
board
Printed circuit board (PCB). Board on which computer components are soldered and
thin wires are printed to connect the components.
boot
To start up a computer. See cold boot and warm boot.
bus
An electronic circuit within a computer used for transmitting data or electrical power
from one device to another.
byte
Group of eight contiguous bits.
C
CardBus
A 32-bit high-performance bus defined by the PC Card Standard and released by the
PCMCIA standards body and trade associations. CardBus offers wider and faster 32-bit
bus and bus mastering operation for improved adapter performance and can operate at
speeds up to 32-MHz.
CD
Compact disc. A polished metal platter capable of storing digital information. The most
prevalent types of compact discs or those used by the music industry to store digital
recordings and CDs used to store computer data. Both types are read-only, which
means that once the data is recorded onto them, they can only be read or played.
CD audio
Also called digital audio, uses the same format as conventional music CDs. CD audio
sounds have been digitized at a high sampling rate.
CD-ROM drive
Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. A computer-controlled device that reads high-
capacity optical discs and sends the output to the computer.
CD-RW drive
Compact Disc Read/Write. A computer controlled device that reads from and writes to
high capacity optical discs.
clock
Electronic timer used to synchronize computer operations.