NEC L320 manual Picture elements. Tiny dots that make up a screen image

PC Card

A credit-card–sized peripheral interface standard for portable devices. Types of PC cards (also known as PCMCIA cards) currently offered by major vendors include fax/modems, LAN, storage cards, and wireless communications devices.

peripheral

Input or output device not under direct computer control. A printer is a peripheral device.

pixels

Picture elements. Tiny dots that make up a screen image.

port

Provides the means for an interface between the microprocessor and external devices. A cable connector is usually plugged into the port to attach the device to the computer.

processor

In a computer, a functional unit that interprets and executes instructions.

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.

8 Glossary