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Helpful Definitions
ASCII:
Abbreviation for American Standard Code for In-
formation Interchange (pronounced ask-ee). A set of stan-
dard 8-bit information
codes,
used by most microcom-
puters.
ATASCII:
Atari's specialized version of the ASCII
code.
It
is necessary to handle the ATARIHome Computer's
enhanced graphics capability.
Asynchronous
Data Transmission:
Transfer of data in
which each transmitted character is preceded by a start
bit and followed by a stop bit.
Baud Rate:
Unit of signaling speed expressed in number
of discrete events per
second.
Bit:
Contraction of binary digit, the smallest unit of infor-
mation in a numerical system based on the number two.
Bit Rate:
The speed at which binary digits are transmit-
ted. Expressed in bits per second (bps).
16
BBS:
Abbreviation for bulletin board system.
Buffer:
A storage device that holds data
temporarily,
often used to compensate for differences in data
flow;
for
instance,
data received over the phone line at 300 bps
may be stored temporarily before it is printed by a slow-
.
ly moving printer.
Carrier:
A continuous frequency capable of being
modulated-or
varied-with
an information-carrying
signal.
Direct-Connect
Modem:
A MOdulator-DEModulator that
is plugged directly into the telephone system for use in
data transmission.
Download/Upload:
The process of transferring and sav-
ing a program over telephone lines. Downloading
transfers a program from a central computer -such as a
BBS-to a remote computer. Uploading transfers a pro-
gram from a remote computer to a central computer.
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