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GLOSSARY
Glossary-10
monitor: A device that uses rows and
columns of pixels to display alphanu-
meric characters or graphic images. See
CRT.
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.
MPEG: Moving picture coding expert
group is an industry standard architec-
ture for compression of video signals.
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
nonvolatile 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
movement.
O
OCR: Optical Character Recognition
(reader). A technique or device that uses
laser or visible light to identify charac-
ters and input them into a storage
device.
OCR wand: A device that reads, using
an optical device, hand written or
machine printed symbols into a
computer. See also OCR.
on-line state: A functional state of a
peripheral device when it is ready to
receive or transmit data.
operating system: A group of pro-
grams 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: Refers to two or more
processes or events that can occur
simultaneously, and without interfering
with each other. See also serial.
parallel interface: Refers to a type of
information exchange that transmits
information one byte (8 bits) at a time.
See also serial interface.
monitor