Glossary
I/O devices: Equipment used to communicate with the computer and transfer data to and from it.
I/O: Input/output. Refers to acceptance and transfer of data to and from a computer.
icon: A small graphic image displayed on the screen or in the indicator panel. In Windows, an icon represents an object that the user can manipulate.
input: The data or instructions you provide to a computer, communication device or other peripheral device from the keyboard or external or internal storage devices. The data sent (or output) by the sending computer is input for the receiving computer.
instruction: Statements or commands that specify how to perform a particular task.
interface: 1) Hardware and/or software components of a system used specifically to connect one system or device to another.
2)To physically connect one system or device to another to exchange information.
3)The point of contact between user, the computer, and the program, for example, the keyboard or a menu.
interrupt request: A signal that gives a component access to the processor.
IrDA 1.1: An industry standard that enables cableless infrared serial data transfer at speeds of up to 4 Mbps.
K
K:Taken from the Greek word kilo, meaning 1000; often used as equivalent to 1024, or 2 raised to the 10th power. See also byte and kilobyte.
keyboard: An input device containing switches that are activated by manually pressing marked keys. Each keystroke activates a switch that transmits a specific code to the computer. For each key, the transmitted code is, in turn, representative of the (ASCII) character marked on the key.
kilobyte (KB): A unit of data storage equal to 1024 bytes. See also byte and megabyte.
L
L1 cache: Level one cache. Memory cache built into the processor to help improve processing speed. See also cache memory, L2 cache.
L2 cache: Memory cache installed on the motherboard to help improve processing speed. It is slower than L1 cache and faster than main memory. See also cache memory, L1 cache.
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