Glossary 245

Terms

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) — A standard for connecting musical instruments, synthesizers, and computers. The MIDI standard provides a way of translating music into a form computers can use, and vice versa.

modem — Short for “modulator/demodulator.” A device that converts information from digital to analog and back to digital, enabling information to pass back and forth between digital computers and analog telephone lines.

motherboard — The main circuit board in the computer. It contains the processor, memory, and other primary components.

MS-DOS prompt — See system prompt.

multimedia — A combination of two or more media, such as sound, animation, and video in a computer program or presentation.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface — See MIDI.

Nnetwork — A collection of computers and associated devices that are connected by communications facilities. A network allows you to

share data and peripheral devices, such as printers, with other users and to exchange electronic mail.

non-interlaced— A method of refreshing a computer screen, in which each pixel of every line is refreshed as the electron beam scans across and down the screen. Compare interlaced.

non-system disk — A disk for storing programs and data that cannot be used to start the computer. Compare system disk.

Oonline — Available through the computer. Online may refer to information being read from your own computer’s hard disk, such as

online documentation or online help, or to information coming from another company on a company network or the Internet.

operating system — A set of programs that controls how the computer works.

Ppalette — See color palette.