Glossary

Sony VAIO Desktop User Guide

 

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Term

Definition

 

 

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 Professional and Windows XP

 

Home Edition are examples of operating systems found on VAIOs.

 

 

Partition

A partition is a logical division of a computer’s hard disk. A two-partition hard drive would

 

typically contain C: and D: drives. Partitioning is particularly useful if you run more than 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 expensive than the regular network. 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.

 

 

Pixel

A pixel (Picture Element) is a part of your screen. Your screen is made up of thousands of

 

pixels, enabling you to see colours and pictures on it. The more pixels, the higher the

 

resolution and the better the image quality.

 

 

Processor

The processor is the brains of the computer; it processes the instructions of your system’s

 

programs. The processor is also known as the CPU or microprocessor and can be found on

 

the motherboard (see this word) of your computer.

 

 

PS/2

A type of mouse or keyboard port, stands for Personal System 2.

 

 

PSTN

PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) refers to the plain old telephone service, the

 

national telecommunication networks implementing voice transmission by using analog

 

signals.