Toshiba manual Glossary-2 Satellite P200/Satellite Pro P200

Glossary

SCSI: small computer system interface

TFT: thin-film transistor

USB: Universal Serial Bus

VESA: Video Electronic Standards Association

VGA: video graphics array

WXGA+: wide extended graphics array

A

adaptor: A device that provides an interface between two dissimilar electronic devices. For example, the AC adaptor modifies the power from a wall outlet for use by the computer. This term also refers to the add-in circuit cards that control external devices, such as video monitors and magnetic tape devices.

application: A group of programs that together are used for a specific task

such as accounting, financial planning, spreadsheets, word processing and games.

B

BIOS: Basic Input Output System. The firmware that controls data flow within the computer. See also firmware.

bit: Derived from "binary digit," the basic unit of information used by the computer. It is either zero or one. Eight bits is one byte. See also byte.

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.

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: High speed memory which stores data that increases processor speed and data transfer rate. When the CPU reads data from main memory, it stores a copy of this data in cache memory. The next time the CPU needs that same data, it looks for it in the cache memory rather than the main memory, which saves time. The computer has two cache levels. Level one is incorporated into the processor and level two resides in external memory.

Glossary-2 Satellite P200/Satellite Pro P200