8 Glossary
prompt
A special symbol indicating the beginning of an input line. Also a message that appears
on the screen indicating that the user must take a certain action.
Q
QWERTY
The QWERTY keyboard, designed in the 1800s for mechanical typewriters, refers to
the first six keys (QWERTY) on the top row of letters on the standard keyboard.
R
RAM
Random Access Memory. A storage device into which data is entered and from which
data is retrieved in a nonsequential manner.
read
To extract data from a storage device such as a diskette.
ROM
Read-Only Memory. Memory in which stored data cannot be modified by the user
except under special conditions.
reset
The process of returning a device to zero or to an initial or arbitrarily selected
condition.
resolution
The degree of screen image clarity. Video display resolution is determined by the
number of pixels on the screen. Resolution is usually specified in pixels by scan lines,
for example, 640 by 480. See pixels.
RS-232C
Standard interface for serial devices. This port is sometimes referred to as the serial
port.
S
scanner
An optical device that reads printed material and converts it to a computer screen
image.
serial interface
An interface that communicates information one bit at a time.