Glossary
boot: Short for bootstrap. A program that starts or restarts the computer. The program reads instructions from a storage device into the computer’s memory.
boot disk: See system disk.
bootable disk: See system disk.
bps: Bits per second. Typically used to describe the data transmission speed of a modem.
buffer: The portion of the computer’s memory where data is temporarily stored. Buffers often compensate for differences in the rate of flow from one device to another.
bus: An interface for transmission of signals, data or electric power.
byte: The representation of a single character. A sequence of eight bits treated as a single unit; also the smallest addressable unit within the system.
C
cache memory: A section of very fast memory in which frequently used information is duplicated for quick access. Accessing data from cache is faster than accessing it from the computer's main memory. See also L1 cache, L2 cache.
capacity: The amount of data that can be stored on a magnetic storage device such as a floppy diskette or hard disk drive. It is usually described in terms of kilobytes (KB), where one KB = 1024 bytes, megabytes (MB), where one MB = 1024 KB and gigabytes (GB), where one GB = 1024 MB.
CD: An individual compact disc. See also
character: Any letter, number, punctuation mark, or symbol used by the computer. Also synonymous with byte.
chassis: The frame containing the computer.
chip: A small semiconductor containing computer logic and circuitry for processing, memory, input/output functions and controlling other chips.
click: To press and release the pointing device's primary button without moving the pointing device. In the Windows operating system, this refers to the pointing device's left button, unless otherwise stated. See also
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