268 Glossary

optical drive — A drive which reads plastic coated discs on which information is recorded digitally and uses a laser to read data, music, or videos.

P

palette — See color palette.

 

 

parallel — Processes that occur simultaneously. In communications, it

 

means the transmission of more than one bit of information at a

 

time. On your computer, the parallel port provides a parallel

 

communications interface between the computer and an appropriate

 

device. Most modern printers are parallel. Compare serial.

 

password — A unique string of characters entered by a user to verify his

 

or her identity to the computer or the network.

 

PC Card — A credit-card-sized expansion card designed to increase the

 

capabilities of notebook computers. PC Cards provide functions

 

such as modem, fax/modem, hard disk drive, network adapter,

 

sound card, or SCSI adapter.

 

peripheral — Any device, such as a printer or joystick, that is attached

 

to the computer and controlled by the computer’s CPU.

 

pixel — Short for “picture element.” The smallest dot that can be

 

produced on a screen or printer.

 

Plug and Play — Generally, refers to the computer’s ability to

 

automatically configure itself to work with peripheral devices.

 

When capitalized, refers to a standard that, when followed by a

 

device manufacturer, allows a computer to configure itself

 

automatically to work with the device.

 

pointing device — Any device, such as the TouchPad or a mouse, that

 

enables you to move the cursor on the screen.

 

port — A socket on the computer where you plug in a cable for

 

connection to a network or a peripheral device.

 

processor — See central processing unit (CPU).

 

program — A set of instructions that can be executed by a computer.

 

The general classes of programs (also called software) are operating

 

system, application, and utility. See also operating system,

 

application, utility.