Sony Notebook User Guide
Glossary
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maximum RAM The maximum amount of RAM tha t your computer can contain. Once this amount is
reached, you can no longer add ad ditional RAM to your computer.
Motherboard The motherboard is the main circuit boa rd inside your computer. It holds the CPU, the BIOS,
the memory and so on.
MPEG MPEG or Moving Pictures Experts Group is a standard for audio-visua l compression of video
sequences. MPEG achieves high compression rates by storing only the changes from one
frame to another. The decrease in data is g enerally imperceptible to the hum an eye.
MPEG-1 was developed for digita l storage of video and audio data o n CD-ROM. MPEG-2
achieves better image and audio qual ity and is more targeted to TV broadcasting and DVD.
Operating system The operating system is software that manages all the other programs in a computer. It
defines how the computer reads and writes information to its disks (and other hardware).
Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP Profession al and Windows XP
Home Edition are examples of op erating systems found on VAIOs.
Partition A partition is a logical division of a comput er’s hard disk. A two-partition hard dri ve would
typically contain C: and D: drives. Partit ioning is particularly useful if you run more th an one
operating system or to clearly separate your data files from your installed software.
PBX A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a private telephone network within an enterprise. Under
this system, the calls between the enterprise members are local and the phone numbers are
made up of 3 or 4 digits. Companies generally choose this phone system for internal
communication because it is less e xpensive than the regular netw ork. The users can still
share a number of outside lines for making calls external to the PBX.
PC Card A PCMCIA card. The term PC Card is more widely used than PCMCIA . See PCMCIA.
Term Definition