Toshiba P200 Series User Manual page 177

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
application: A group of programs that together are used for a specific task
B
BIOS: Basic Input Output System. The firmware that controls data flow
bit:
Derived from "binary digit," the basic unit of information used by the
boot: Short for bootstrap. A program that starts or restarts the computer.
bps: Bits per second. Typically used to describe the data transmission
buffer: The portion of the computer's memory where data is temporarily
bus: An interface for transmission of signals, data or electric power.
byte: The representation of a single character. A sequence of eight bits
C
cache memory: High speed memory which stores data that increases
User's Manual
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.
such as accounting, financial planning, spreadsheets, word
processing and games.
within the computer. See also firmware.
computer. It is either zero or one. Eight bits is one byte. See also
byte.
The program reads instructions from a storage device into the
computer's memory.
speed of a modem.
stored. Buffers often compensate for differences in the rate of flow
from one device to another.
treated as a single unit; also the smallest addressable unit within the
system.
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
Glossary-2