Glossary

247

Terms

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 6-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.

S

select — 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 Windows 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.

 

Suspend — A feature of some Windows 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.