262 Glossary
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.1.2
resolution — A measure of the sharpness of the images that can be
produced by a printer or displayed on a screen. For a printer,
resolution is expressed in dots per inch (dpi). For a screen, it is
expressed as the number of pixels available horizontally and
vertically.
restart — Synonymous with reboot. To reset the computer by
reloading the operating system without turning the computer off.
See also boot.
RJ11 — A modular connector used on most U.S. telephone
systems and direct-connect modems. The RJ11 connector is a
4-wire connector.
ROM (read-only memory) — Non-volatile memory that can be
read but not written to. By non-volatile, we mean that
information in ROM remains whether or not the computer is
receiving power. This type of memory is used to store your
computer’s BIOS, which is essential instructions the computer
reads when you start it up. See also BIOS, memory. Compare
RAM.
Sselect — To highlight or otherwise specify text, data, or graphics
with the intent to perform some operation on it.
serial — Processes that occur one at a time. In communications, it
means the transmission of one bit at a time sequentially over a
single channel. On your computer, the serial port provides a serial
interface between the computer and an appropriate device.
Compare parallel.
shortcut — See keyboard shortcut.
software — See program. Compare hardware.
Standby — A feature of some operating systems that allows you to
turn off the computer without exiting your open applications and
to continue from where you left off when you turn the computer
on again.
system disk — A diskette that contains the operating system files
needed to start the computer. Any diskette can be formatted as a
system disk. A system disk is also called a “bootable disk” or a
“startup disk.” Compare non-system disk.