NEC PowerMate CT manual Glossary

Glossary

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access time

The time period between the supply of an access signal and the output or acceptance of the data by the addressed system. Examples are the access times for DRAMs, SRAMs, hard drives, and CD-ROM drives. Hard drive access time is the time it takes for a computer to get data from the drive. A hard drive with an 11 ms access time is fast. A CD-ROM drive with a 280-ms access time is fast.

ACPI

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. A power management specification developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba. When installed on the system, ACPI enables the operating system to control the amount of power given to each device attached to the computer. With ACPI, the operating system can turn off peripheral devices (such as CD- ROM drives) when they are not in use. As another example, ACPI enables manufacturers to produce computers that automatically power up as soon as you touch the keyboard.

adapter

An expansion board or component on the system board that communicates with peripherals (such as the display monitor or network devices).

address

A hexadecimal number that represents a location in storage or memory. Also used to identify communication ports. To communicate with a storage device.

AGP

Accelerated Graphics Port. A high-speed, high-performance video standard supported by a dedicated connector on the system board. The connector allows the connection of an AGP board to the system board’s AGP bus. AGP boards feature

64- or 128-bit graphics acceleration with an integrated digital video engine and accelerated 3-D graphics, texture mapping, and shading functions. Fast refresh rates, high resolution, and color depth allow for incredible graphics suitable for multimedia and graphic intensive applications.

algorithm

Any set of instructions to be followed in order.

anti-aliasing

Making jagged edges look smoother by filling in the jags with an intermediate color. Usually used in reference to the edges of shapes, especially letters, on a computer screen.

API

Application Programming Interface. An API is a series of functions that programs can use to make the operating system do routine or repetitive tasks. Using Windows APIs, for example, a program can open windows, files, and message boxes (as well as perform more complicated tasks) by passing a single instruction. Windows has several classes of APIs that deal with telephony, messaging, and other issues.

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