Byte

A sequence or group of eight bits that represents one character.

CGA

Color Graphics Adapter. A type of display adapter card that can generate up to 25 lines of text with 80 characters on each line, monochrome graphics at 640 x 200 resolution, or four-color graphics at 320 x 200 resolution.

Character

Anything that can be printed in a single space on the page or the screen; includes numbers, letters, punctuation marks, and graphic symbols.

CMOS

Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor. A type of low-power silicon chip.

Code

A system of symbols for representing data or instructions. Also any software program or part of a program.

Command

An instruction you enter (usually on a keyboard) to direct your computer to perform a specific function.

Command prompt

The symbol or message that tells you MS-DOS is loaded and ready to receive instructions. The default command prompt displays the current drive and directory. If you are logged onto drive C, the command prompt may look like this: C : >.

Glossary 3