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Glossary-10
GLOSSARY
characters and input them into a
storage device.
online state: A functional state of a
peripheral device when it is ready to
receive or transmit data.
operating system: A group of
programs that controls the basic
operation of a computer. Operating
system functions include interpreting
programs, creating data files, and
controlling the transmission and
receipt (input/output) of data to and
from memory and peripheral devices.
output: The results of a computer
operation. Output commonly indicates
data 1) printed on paper, 2) displayed
at a terminal, 3) sent through the serial
port of internal modem, or 4) stored
on some magnetic media.
P
parallel interface: Refers to a type of
information exchange that transmits
information one byte (8 bits) at a time.
See also serial interface.
parity: 1) The symmetrical relationship
between two parameter values
(integers) both of which are either on
or off; odd or even; 0 or 1. 2) In serial
communications, an error detection bit
that is added to a group of data bits
making the sum of the bits even or
odd. Parity can be set to none, odd, or
even.
motherboard
motherboard: A name sometimes
used to refer to the main printed circuit
board in processing equipment. It
usually contains integrated circuits
that perform the processor’s basic
functions and provides connectors for
adding other boards that perform
special functions. Sometimes called a
main board.
MP3: An audio compression standard
that enables high-quality transmission
and real-time playback of sound files.
N
non-system disk: A formatted
diskette (floppy disk) you can use to
store programs and data but you
cannot use to start the computer. See
system disk.
nonvolatile memory: Memory, usually
read-only (ROM), that is capable of
permanently storing information.
Turning the computer’s power off
does not alter data stored in nonvola-
tile memory.
numeric keypad overlay: A feature
that allows you to use certain keys on
the keyboard to perform numeric entry,
or to control cursor and page move-
ment.
O
OCR: Optical Character Recognition
(reader). A technique or device that
uses laser or visible light to identify